The Shadows They Carry
by Sakura245
Summary: SEQUEL TO DARKENING CLOUDS, SUNNY SKYS! Nishiki has been living with the brothers of the cloud for four months, and has adjusted very well. Life has been good lately. But when Nishiki falls ill with an mysterious ailment, Soramaru, joined by his brothers, takes Nishiki to the Hidden Leaf Village for treatment. Along the way, bonds are formed and secrets are discovered.
1. Prologue

**Hello! This is the sequel to my very first fanfiction,** ** _Darkening Clouds, Sunny Skys._** **I hope you all enjoy!**

The sun sat high in the sky providing a light that the people of Shiga would always cherish. Nishiki loved the sun. She had been living with Soramaru and his brothers for four months now. The half haired girl never stopped being grateful to Soramaru. It was because of him that she could live, love, and laugh under a clear, blue sky.

Yet, despite the fact that she had put the dark shadows of her life behind her, they still followed her. She couldn't escape the nightmares that assaulted her every so often, and she was sometimes unable to fight off the vivid memories that were trapped in her mind. She simply did her best to follow Soramaru's teachings, and waited for a reason to laugh.

Nishiki swept fallen leaves off of the shrine's steps. "Hi, Nishiki!" Chuutarou called as he ran down the steps to get to school. Nishiki smiled."Have a nice day at school." She responded. To her, it was almost funny how alike the three brothers were. When she met Tenka, she could very clearly see how Soramaru turned out the way he was. She could see Chuutarou developing a personality that was similar to Tenka's.

Nishiki finished sweeping and went along doing the rest of the chores, which weren't many. She cleaned the house for a bit when suddenly her head felt like it was splitting apart. She felt a pressing sensation from inside her head. She braced herself against a wall as her vision went blurry and her teeth clamped shut to smother moans of pain.

Soramaru passed by at that moment. "Nishiki, are you okay?" He asked, concern filling his voice. The headache passed and Nishiki nodded and managed a small smile. "I'm alright. I must have just been tired. Could have just been lack of sleep." She had been short on sleep lately, and she had no idea what had been keeping her up, but she dismissed it. "Are you sure you're okay?" Soramaru said. "Maybe you should go to bed earlier tonight." Nishiki shrugged. "I will be fine." She responded. Soramaru sighed, Nishiki had grown in the time that she had been living with them, but there were times where she was still the unfledged girl who went overboard with the chores. "Just... don't over work yourself. Okay?"


	2. Cries of the Past

Soramaru walked into the house late at night. He loosened the tie that he had been wearing in accordance with his uncomfortable, Western clothes. Being the head of the household, he occasionally got asked to attend dinner parties or balls. He hated them, with a passion.

Back when Tenka was the head of the Kumo line, he complained about going to these sort of events. Now Soramaru could understand why completely. The attire was tight and restrictive, the conversation was dull, and he barely understood what to do. He also disliked the food, it was too extravagant. He felt that he could cook better meals at home. The only upside to this night's event was that Takeda was there representing the Yamainu.

At first, they tried to act formal, like all of the other guests. They failed miserably, after a few minutes. They couldn't physically spar or do much at the party, so they ended up insulting each other quietly, so not to draw attention. That got old after twenty minutes. Eventually, they just stood against a wall, staring at a clock and talking about anything that would pass time.

The second son of the cloud was immensely happy that it was over. He fixed himself some very late dinner, he hadn't eaten since noon. Suddenly, he heard a panicked, high pitched scream. _Nishiki?!_

He dropped his half finished dinner and raced to Nishiki's room. She was thrashing around in her sleep, tears raced down her face. Soramaru knelt down next to her, and gently shook her shoulders. "Nishiki! Nishiki!" He said in a soothing voice, shaking her gently. "It's okay. Wake up, you're fine."

Nishiki's eyes fluttered open and she bolted upright in response to his voice. Her breath came out in short, shallow gasps. She wiped her eyes as if she was trying to erase the shed tears. "You're okay." Soramaru said again. Nishiki stiffened.

"I'm fine, it was just a nightmare." She said stiffly.

Soramaru let his hands drop from her rigid shoulders. "Do you wanna tell me what happened in it? People say that talking about their dreams puts their minds at ease." Nishiki shook her head, there was no way she could confess her dream to Soramaru. She trusted him with her life, but the burden of her past was her's to carry alone."Okay." Soramaru said, looking her in the eyes. "But, if you ever want to talk about it, I'll be there. Good night."

He left Nishiki alone in the dark room. _It was just a dream_. She reminded herself. That thought didn't bring her any comfort because she knew that her nightmare had been apart of her past. _He'll be there_ , she thought. That did give her solace.


	3. Strange Sickness

**Hello! So here is the next chapter, I hope everyone enjoys it. PLEASE REVIEW!**

A week later, Nishiki woke up in the middle of the night. Awoken by a parched throat. Her head and throat have been bothering her for the past few days. She kept her throbbing head and dry throat quiet for all that time. Her voice had gone a bit hoarse, and Soramaru noticed. He had bought honey and herbal tea to help her keep the illness at bay. The home remedies did little to soothe her pains.

She crawled out of the bed, one night, her entire body aching for water. When she stood up, her head spun. Her thoughts were as foggy as her vision. She somehow managed to get herself a glass of water. She stumbled weakly to return to bed.

She collapsed in the hallway on the way back to her room. It took her a while to process how she got on the floor. I think I was walking back to my room. So, I think I fell. She gave a few attempts to stand, but her strength waned. The ground was comfortable, to her at least, the hardwood floor felt cool and soothing beneath her. I'll get to my room after a few minutes. She thought, before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.

The next morning, Soramaru walked out of his room, as groggy as ever. He'd had the same weird dream all night, something about teaming up with Takeda to fight forces of evil plants. "Well," He mumbled to himself. "That puts an end to sugary foods before bed." He yawned a rubbed the back of his head. His mind was focused on the activities for that day, when his foot bumped into a figure that was curled up in the middle of hallway.

He jumped back, startled at finding Nishiki asleep on the floor. "Hey, Nishiki? What are you doing here?" He asked, rolling her over. He gasped when he saw her Fuuma half. Large pink blotches covered her face and arm, but only on the half of her with white hair. Soramaru had little medical knowledge aside from what he learned from the doctor and what he had overheard from Orochimaru and Kabuto when he was a test subject in a different dimension, but he could understand that the marks on Nishiki were not healthy.

Chuutarou hopped into the hallway, all ready for school. "Chuutarou!" Soramaru said, with Nishiki hanging limply in his arms. " I need you to run and get the doctor. Now!" Chuutarou took one look at Nishiki and took off, out of the house. "Hey," Tenka yelled from his room as he was pulling himself into his wheelchair. "Why do you need Chuutarou to get the doctor?"

Soramaru walked over to doorway to Tenka's room right as Tenka rolled out. "Look at her." Soramaru said lowering Nishiki so Tenka could see the marks from where he was sitting. Tenka's eyes widened, "Yeah, that would be a good reason to call the doctor. Get her back to her room." Soramaru obeyed and got some cold water and rags.

When Soramaru returned to Nishiki's room, Tenka was sitting next to Nishiki's bedside. "Hey, how is she?" Soramaru asked. Tenka frowned.

"The marks turned a deeper red, but other than that, not much." Soramaru sighed, worry consumed him. All they could do was wait. Soramaru dabbed cool water onto Nishiki's burning face. "I haven't seen a fever like this since Chuutarou got the flu." Soramaru said, nervously.

Nishiki's eyes opened slowly. Tenka noticed first. "Hey, how are you?" Nishiki's eyes flitted from Tenka to Soramaru. "I'm fine, Master Tenka." She said weakly, and tried to get up. "No," Soramaru firmly responded. "You need to rest and stop calling us master." He gently took her shoulders and pushed her down.

The half haired girl sighed and obeyed orders. They waited for the doctor is silence. Soramaru brushed Nishiki's bangs back and pressed a wet rag to her forehead.

The third son finally returned with the doctor. "Alright, let me take a look." He said. Nishiki shrank back, she didn't like doctors. It was a Fuuma thing. (A/N: I'm referencing what Tenka said about Shirasu in the manga.) They scared her, but this doctor was gentle. He asked her how she was feeling, took her pulse, and stuck a glass thermometer under her tongue. She cringed at the cold surface touching soft flesh under her tongue. "How is she, Doc?" Tenka asked as the doctor looked down Nishiki's throat.

The doctor slid the tongue depressor out of Nishiki's mouth. " There is very little I can do. I haven't seen an illness like this before. The rash is only on the half with Fuuma markings, whatever she has links back to ninjas. All I can suggest is that she can sleep it off, I'll give you some sedatives. I'm sorry I can't do more." Soramaru thanked the doctor as he left


	4. A Way to Help

Nishiki knew the sedative would be strong the moment the bottle was uncorked. She could smell several different herbs that brought on sleep, a few herbs that were used to neutralize any kind of toxins, possibly some herbs to lower a fever, and there was another scent that she couldn't quite determine its purpose. "Don't give her too much," The doctor had warned. "The medicine is very potent."

Soramaru coaxed Nishiki to eat some food, poured a small amount of the medicine into a spoon, and slipped it into Nishiki's mouth. It had a sweet, earthy flavor. If she concentrated, she could taste each individual ingredient. The doctor hadn't been kidding when he said that it was potent, Nishiki's eyelids grew heavy almost the moment that the concoction dripped down her throat. She was left in her room to rest.

Hours and Soramaru sat together in the kitchen, while Chuutarou was doing all of Nishiki's chores. "How long do you suppose she'll sleep?" Soramaru asked Tenka, handing him a cup of tea. The eldest brother shrugged. "With a large dose like that, I would guess about a day." Soramaru stared in shock, "What?! A day?! I didn't even give her a spoonful. It was only a little-" Tenka took a sip of his tea and shook his head, "That medicine is powerful, I remember all too well. On top of that, her illness most likely makes her even more tired." Soramaru was about to ask what Tenka meant by staying he remembered the medicine "all too well," but he was interrupted by a knock at the door.

Botan stood just outside the shrine. Chuutarou opened the door, "Oh! Hi, Miss. What brings you here?" He said politely, inviting her in. Soramaru and Tenka joined him to see who it was. "Well, Chuutarou wasn't at school today. I know he's not the type to miss a day without reason. He didn't miss much, it was a shortened day. Is everything all right here?" She asked.

"Oh! That was the thing we forgot!" Tenka said, slapping his right hand against his forehead. In all of the chaos of Nishiki falling ill, Chuutarou's education had completely slipped their minds. "Nishiki is really sick. So, Chuutarou ran to get the doctor, and we kind of forgot to send him to school. Sorry about that." Soramaru said, apologetically. "Nishiki's sick?" Botan said. "Is there anything I can do to help?" Soramaru shook his head and explained the symptoms and illness, how the rash was only on Nishiki's Fuuma half. "He didn't even know what it was." Soramaru said, finishing his explanation. "He said that whatever she has is linked to- ninjas. Wait a minute!" He unintentionally yelled, his mind racing.

Soramaru ran out of the room and into his room. _I can't believe I didn't think of this before! I swear, I can be such an idiot sometimes!_ He reentered the room with a backpack. "What was up with you just now?" Tenka asked, "You just freaked out and left the room." Soramaru dug around in the backpack until he found a piece of paper. He pulled it out, after he unfurled it the others could see that it was a map. "I think I know a way to help her."

 **Hey, so I think you can all guess what's coming up... Here we go! Off to the Hidden Leaf Village!**


	5. Through the Portal

**Hello! I've had a bit of free time , so I've gotten to post chapters one after the other lately. Enjoy!**

Soramaru didn't explain anything really. He just packed the backpack full of medicinal herbs that grew in the garden, the sedative that the doctor left, and changes of his and Nishiki's clothes. "What are you doing? How can this help her?" Chuutarou asked, perplexed. Soramaru kept packing the backpack. When he finally responded, he said, "I know some people, they're a ways away, but I'm almost positive that they'll be able to help." No one understood, Shiga was a small town. It was a town that Soramaru rarely left. When could he have met someone?

"I'll just take Nishiki there and-" Soramaru was cut off by Tenka and Chuutarou. Tenka stated that he wanted to join Soramaru and Chuutarou, of course, wanted to join because of Tenka."No, you guys can't come! I've barely thought this through for just taking Nishiki."

Tenka shook his head. "No, not a chance. Nishiki became apart of this family the moment Chuutarou and I met her. Families stick together. We're coming, whether you want us to or not." Soramaru sighed, he knew that once Tenka made up his mind, he was a stone. "You're not going to back down on this, are you?" Tenka shook his head again, confirming Soramaru's expectations. "Fine, if you're going to come then pack a change of clothes. Miss Botan, could you please watch the shrine while we're gone?" Botan nodded.

"Whatever the Kumou family needs, I will carry it out."

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Soramaru carried Nishiki down the steps of the shrine. She was still unconscious, but her fever had gone down, a little. Soramaru also noticed that she gained a little weight since the last time he had to carry her. Which was good. When he last carried her, she had been severely injured and unhealthily light. She probably had received better meals upon entering the Kumou household.

"So, you gave a very vague description of your plan. Mind filling us in now?" Tenka mentioned as they ventured deeper into the woods. "Sora, sir." Chuutarou said. "Where are we going?" Soramaru thought about how to answer their questions. Somehow, he never had got around to telling them about how he had gotten kidnapped, experimented on, and eventually rescued. It was all a bit of a blur now to him. The Orochi made his mind forget bits and pieces of memories.

He focused on finding the bush that hid the portal to a different world. "Umm... Well, I don't really know where to start if you want me to explain. It's kind of a long story." A familiar kunai in the ground made him stop in his tracks. He looked at it, and despite his memory problems, this image rang clear to him. He stood next to the bush. "As for the plan, this bush hides a portal that leads to another dimension. The doctor said that whatever disease that Nishiki has is connected to ninjas. There are some ninjas in this other dimension who I am sure would be able to help her."

Tenka and Chuutarou exchanged concerned glances. "Soramaru," Tenka began. "Look, I know that sake is tempting, but really drugs and alcohol can mess up your mind." Soramaru glared at Tenka.

"I didn't touch any sake! I am telling you this is real!" He turned away, frustrated. But, when he thought about it, he would have a hard time believing his story as well. He could hear Tenka whispering to Chuutarou to humor him. "Of course, Tenny! You're a genius!"

"Well then, we'll go through first and find these ninjas that you were talking about." Chuutarou said. Out of the corner of his eye, Soramaru could see his brothers walking, and rolling, further between the branches of the bush. "Wait!" Soramaru yelled, but it was too late. They had both been sucked into a vortex to another world.

Soramaru stood there, still holding Nishiki and sighed. "I love those two, but occasionally I feel like I'm surrounded by idiots." He said to himself, before jumping in after them.


	6. To the Hidden Leaf

Somehow, Soramaru had forgotten how rough and terrifying the portal ride could be. He shut his eyes to block out the bright flashes of light and pressed an unconscious Nishiki closer to him. Her unconsciousness was a blessing. Every time the current of the portal flipped him upside down, which was often, he had to suppress shrieks of panic. He protectively cupped a hand to the back of Nishiki's neck.

His first priority was to protect her. He was well aware that the landing would be painful. If he could, he would do everything in his power to cushion Nishiki's collision with the earth.

The portal didn't fling him to the ground as it did before. This time, it launched him and the sleeping girl straight into the air. With all of his strength, he positioned himself so that he would hit the ground first. His grip around her tightened as he slammed against rocky dirt. His eyes shut in pain and the impact knocked the wind out of him. Nishiki moaned in her sleep, but appeared unharmed. Soramaru released a sigh of relief.

He sat up and scanned the area, Tenka was sprawled out on the ground with his wheelchair 10 feet away from him and Chuutarou was getting sick behind a tree. The sun sat high in the sky. It was a little past noon. Soramaru shifted and gently laid Nishiki's lifeless body down. He left her on the ground for a moment to help Tenka back into his wheelchair.

Chuutarou finished vomiting and joined them. "Okay." Soramaru said, trying to sound optimistic. "I think the worst is over, we just have to get to the village now." He tried to plaster a bright smile on his face, but failed when he saw the state that his brothers were in. "This place is real?!" Tenka said, flipping out. "You weren't on drugs when you told us about this?!" Chuutarou was not acting any better.

"I wouldn't lie about something like this. Besides, I avoid drugs like the plague. Focus." He muttered while lifting Nishiki off the ground. He put her on top of Tenka's lap, so he could easily maneuver the two of them to the hidden leaf. He looked at the map and headed toward the village.

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"So," Tenka said, breaking the silence. "You've been here before?" Soramaru nodded," Uh-huh."

"These people we're going to, they're friend of your's?" Again, Soramaru nodded, despite Tenka's back to him. "Why didn't you ever tell us about this? Seriously, how long have you known about this place? Did you ever even plan on bringing it up?! " This was a question he couldn't answer without speaking. "I've known for about 4 months. I guess I never got around to mentioning it. You know, other dimensions isn't a very hot conversation topic." He replied looking harder at the map.

More silence. "The people here, what kind of people are they?" Tenka asked. Soramaru considered his words,"They're shinobi, but they are really kind people." A moment passed before Soramaru corrected his answer. "Well, except for some who kidnap you because of your 'unique eyes.'" His brothers looked at him, surprised by the sudden bitterness in his voice.

"What happened, Sora?" Chuutarou asked carefully. Soramaru shut his eyes for a moment before deciding to reveal his experience with this world. "It was back when Tenka was 'dead' and you were missing. I ran into this guy named Kabuto and he brought me here by force." He left out the parts on the constant and cruel experiments that he endured, speaking about the labs was like being trapped in them once more. "I thought I was going to die." He said, continuing his story."But, these ninjas from a village called the hidden leaf saved me. I got taken over a few times while I was there, but they helped me get home. One of them, Naruto, made me promise I would try to find another way to destroy the Orochi aside from death."

The setting sun covered the land in a sheet of gold. Finally, the second son could make out the walls that surrounded the hidden leaf village. They were all tired, despite travelling in the day, interdimensional jetlag. None of them knew the number of hours that were spent slowly trudging through the wilderness.

Nishiki was still out cold. Soramaru slowly pushed Tenka through the gate. The two people who monitored the gates looked at him, suspiciously. Soramaru held his hands above his head to show that he was not a threat. The other two followed his example.

"Please," He said, calmly."Let us in. We have a girl here, she's very sick." The two men stared at him with not a hint of trust in their eyes. "Why should we let you in? Give us a reason to trust you, outsider." Soramaru met their eyes and looked at them seriously, he hadn't been introduced to everyone in the village, so of course these people wouldn't trust him. "Please," He said again. "I've been here before. I'm not a threat to the hidden leaf. If you need any proof, you could ask Sakura Haruno, Naruto Uzumaki, Sai, Kakashi Hatake, or even the Hokage. They would remember Soramaru Kumou."


	7. Abandoned

**Hi! Sorry for taking so long to post this chapter. I'm really excited to get further into this story. I was just watching the first 3 episodes of** ** _Donten ni Warau(Laughing Under the Clouds)._** **So many feels. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**

One of the guards left to find at least one of the people that Soramaru mentioned. He ended up trying to make pointless small talk with the remaining guard. It got no where. The awkwardness was practically tangible. He was relieved when Sakura appeared with the guard.

Sakura smiled at Soramaru, but immediately frowned upon seeing Nishiki's condition. Naruto appeared as well and greeted Soramaru happily. "Sora! Hi! I knew you would live! How have you been?" He said enthusiastically. Soramaru didn't get a chance to answer as Sakura rushed them to the hospital. Naruto pushed Tenka's wheelchair and Soramaru carried Nishiki as they climbed several sets of stairs in the hidden leaf hospital. They walked in silence, no one ready to break it just yet.

Nishiki woke up. She couldn't remember much of what happened. The last thing that she could recall was taking the sedative and going to sleep. Her eyes opened ever so slightly, but she couldn't see a thing. She opened her eyes wider to try to regain her sight, but all she could see was darkness. "I need to examine her condition, but only medical ninjas are allowed in this room." A female voice said.

Nishiki gasped silently when she heard the word "ninjas." Her senses were foggy, but she knew she was being held. A sigh, Soramaru's voice. "So, should we just leave her with you, then?" What was going on? Why was she blind? Who were these people? Where was she?

"Master Soramaru?" She choked out of her burning throat. Soramaru sounded surprised. "Oh, Nishiki you're awake." She tried to look to where his voice was coming from, but her sight was greeted by nothingness. Even in her weakening strength, she managed to whip her head around, despite the fact that there was nothing to see. She tried to voice her million questions, but failed. "What is going on? Why can't I see anything?" She asked, her throat growing more like sandpaper with every word. Soramaru's arms tensed around her. "Oh, yeah. That medicine you took can leave you blind and disoriented for a while. It'll wear off eventually." Tenka's voice.

"Well, I should start now." The unfamiliar female voice said. She felt Soramaru's arms extend and place her in someone else's arm. Her fingers attached themselves to Soramaru's shirt, they were weak and trembling, but still reluctant to let go. His gentle hands gingerly pried them off. Her fingers groped the air, desperate to find something familiar. They found nothing.

Whatever medicine he had given her earlier was taking effect again. Sleep and panic were about to claim her. "Master Soramaru, who are these people?" She asked in a weak voice. She felt herself being carried away. The last thing that she heard was Soramaru's voice saying."You'll be okay. They're good people." A door slammed shut, cut off from Soramaru.

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She used to have dreams like this. They started when she had first been taken in by the Kumou family. She was never sure of what she had done or what had happened, but they always ended with them leaving her. It always ended with her being alone again. _That's what's happening now._ She thought. Here I am, blind and unable to move. No wonder why they wouldn't want me. Her own thoughts wounded her, deeply.

 _The medicine is interfering with your thoughts_ , she thought to herself. _They are not that kind of people._ Somehow, she remained doubtful. She had been barely awake, and he left her in the arms of a stranger. Claiming that wherever she was had "good people." Fear coursed through her like the blood in her veins. She drew a shuddering breath before passing out

 **So, that happened. Please comment any suggestions and please review. Thank you!**


	8. Introductions

The four boys were left standing awkwardly outside of the medical room. "I feel like we shouldn't leave." Soramaru said. The others nodded, they didn't really know what to do. "Wait," Tenka said, turning to Naruto. "Who the heck are you?" Naruto was snapped out of his mini daze. "Oh, right, sorry. I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Umm.. Who exactly are you?"

Soramaru apologized for neglecting to introduce everyone. "Naruto, these are my brothers, Tenka and Chuutarou. The girl Sakura took away is Nishiki. Tenka, Chuutarou, this is Naruto. The girl who took Nishiki was Sakura. Everyone got that?" He said in one breath. They all nodded, signaling their understanding.

"Wait a minute," Naruto said. "I thought you said that Tenka died."

"Right, I was here when I thought he was dead." Soramaru remembered flatly. Naruto looked at him confused, "I'll explain everything later." He said quietly. Naruto nodded. The silence stretched. There was very little sound coming from the medical room, shuffling sounds, sounds of wheels rolling, but nothing else. "What could be going on in there?" Chuutarou asked, reaching to open the door. Both Naruto and Soramaru caught his hand before he could touch the door knob. " I wouldn't do that." Naruto said intensely in a hushed whisper. Chuutarou's eyes widened in fear. "Sakura hates being distracted and she has monster strength. If you open this door, you could incur her wrath." Naruto explained. Next to him, Soramaru nodded. Chuutarou cocked his head, confused. "But she seemed so nice. She's taking care of Nishiki, isn't she?"

"She's one of the best medical ninjas the leaf has to offer. She is nice, if you stay on her good side." Naruto said. "Get her angry and you are in for a world of pain." Once again, Soramaru nodded, frantically.

Sakura came out right then, because of her intense and through training she had heard every word. She hit both Naruto and Soramaru on the head. "What are you saying?! You make it sound like I'm some kind of terrible person, Naruto, you idiot!" She yelled angrily. "What did you hit me for?" Soramaru asked, rubbing his head. "I didn't say anything!" Sakura glared at him and he felt as though all of his strength had abandoned him. "Sora, you encouraged him!"

She turned to Tenka and Chuutarou, who both had this terrified admiration for her. She shook hands with them, politely and introduced herself. It scared and fascinated them how she changed to a happy, smiling girl within seconds. "How is Nishiki?" Soramaru asked urgently. Sakura's smile wavered a bit.

"Well, I haven't been able to figure out a cure yet. I've figured out some stuff about the illness. Results for the blood tests will be in later, I'll be able to do more by then." Soramaru visibly stiffened when Sakura said "blood test."

"How much blood did you take?" He asked, remembering Kabuto taking a blood sample from him. "This much." Sakura said holding up a small glass vial, half full with blood. He exhaled and his muscles relaxed. "That's good. It's not a lot." He said, relieved. Sakura and Naruto exchanged glances. "Orochimaru's lab, huh?" Sakura asked. Soramaru nodded,"Yeah, it's still a little haunting." Sensing the curious stares of his brothers, he decided to change the subject.

"When will we be able to see her?" He asked.

"You're still not allowed in this room. I can have her transferred to a different room by tomorrow morning. It might even be helpful to have you there, I might need to ask some questions to help figure this out." Sakura responded. Soramaru wasn't sure what to do before then. Then he realized that they didn't have a place to stay. He wouldn't risk going back through the portal again and staying at home, for fear that years would pass here.

"Oh, I forgot to mention," Soramaru said, pulling the medicinal herbs that he grabbed out of the backpack. They were wilted and crumpled from the time in the backpack, but still usable and revivable. "If these could help at all, you can take them." Sakura studied them carefully. "They look like they could be useful. I'll have them analyzed, if they work well, they could be a huge step in the medical field."

"Oh," Naruto said, suddenly remembering something as well. "We have to make sure Grandma Tsunade knows about all this. She'll be really mad if we don't tell her. Her wrath is even worst than Sakura's!" His comment earned him another well placed blow on the head from Sakura. Once again, Chuutarou and Tenka stared at her in horrified interest. "He is right though, you do not want to get her angry." She said. "Well, we should tell her and get her approval on all of this. Let's go."


	9. Up to Date

**Hello! So, here is another chapter. I write all of the story ahead of time, and at the moment I'm really happy because I figured out a later chapter. I hope you enjoy and please tell me what you think!**

"So, kid," The hokage said, looking Soramaru in the eye. "You lived." Soramaru nodded, despite her cold and scary demeanor, he liked her a lot. "Is that thing still in you?"

"No, Lady Hokage." Soramaru said. "It was killed and it will never come back." Tsunade smiled, knowing that her village would not be at risk from the Orochi. "Naruto and Sakura explained the situation to me. The two of them are still recovering from a mission, so they won't be sent out for a while. You have my approval." The brothers of the cloud smiled. Tsunade's smile turned into a thoughtful look. "This is just out of curiousity, but where were you planning to stay?"

Soramaru's smile faltered. Somehow, he had overlooked that part of the plan. Going back to the shrine and leaving Nishiki was out of the question. "I don't suppose we could stay in the hospital room like how I did before." Tsunade shook her head, almost laughing. "Last time was a special case, you were in a coma for two days." Tenka and Chuutarou stared at Soramaru in shock. "TWO DAYS!" They both yelled at the same time. Soramaru said these people had saved him, but why was he in a coma for two days?

Soramaru ignored them. "You guys could stay at my place." Naruto said from the back of the room. All eyes turned to him. "Well, why not? I've lived alone all my life, it could be fun to have some people stay over." Tsunade agreed to the idea. The next issue was money. The Kumous had none and they didn't want Naruto to spend his hard earned money for them. "The genin squads have moved past the D-rank mission stage. The pay isn't much, but it could help." Sakura suggested. Another matter, solved.

Naruto's home was small, but they managed to find space for the brothers to sleep. The three of them took the floor. They ate ramen for dinner, which Soramaru hadn't eaten in his previous stay in the leaf due to Sakura's strict care of him and his diet.

The village was peaceful and Soramaru had several happy memories of this place, but he couldn't forget the reason he was brought into the leaf in the first place. He had a recurring dream where he was back in Orochimaru's lab. Kabuto injected numerous doses of something into him. He remained strapped to the table the whole time. He yelled in his dream all he wanted and the sound didn't echo and it changed nothing. The dream made him awake in cold sweat every time, but it wasn't enough to make him bolt upright or scream.

After hours of the trying to sleep undisturbed, Soramaru gave up, and quietly slipped off of his space on the floor and out onto the balcony. Thoughts of Nishiki kept him up now instead of nightmares. Was she okay? When would he be able to see her? What was her whole perception on this? "Hey," A voice said, interrupting his thoughts.

Naruto sat on the balcony rail, casually looking at the village in the night. "Oh, you're up too?" Soramaru said.

"Yeah." Naruto said, "I'm an insomniac some nights. Were you dreaming about the labs?" Soramaru looked up surprised that Naruto would know something like that. "How did you know that?" Soramaru asked, a little freaked out how it seemed Naruto was reading him like a book. "You were muttering things like 'injections,' 'needles,' and 'Kabuto.'" Soramaru looked down embarrassed.

"I'm more worried about how Nishiki is." He said, changing the subject. Naruto nodded. "Hey, since we're here. I was wondering about the whole thing with Tenka. You said that you would explain it later. So, would you mind explaining?" Soramaru sighed. He figured he couldn't sweep something like that under the rug. "Right, so when I was last here I said that Tenka was killed because they thought that he was the vessel. Turns out that 11 years ago,when our parents were killed, he got seriously wounded and they used a drug that used Orochi cells. He was still useful to their research alive, so they saved him."

"I know this may be a difficult question to answer, but why is he in a wheelchair? I remember you saying that he was the strongest person that you knew. So..." Naruto was right when he said it may be a hard question to answer. "When he was hurt that night all those years ago, he got some nerve damage and his left side was paralysed. The Orochi drug helped, but to keep it from raging, they had to remove a lot of the cells from his body. It left him like that. It hurts occasionally." Soramaru continued. "I know I wasn't the one who went through what he did, but to see how he reacts to it. He keeps laughing, but I can tell that under the surface, he hates this." Soramaru finished.

"And the Orochi? And didn't you have a ninja living with you? Where is he?" Naruto asked, keeping the conversation alive. This topic was on the Orochi was less painful, but it was difficult, nonetheless. Shirasu was another matter. "Dead. Both of them." Soramaru said bluntly. "Shirasu betrayed us and was working to revive the Orochi. He planned his betrayal for all the ten years that he lived with us. I don't think any of us are used to not seeing him anymore. I still haven't forgiven him, but I kind of miss him, he was a big part of the family." Soramaru snapped out of his feelings and answered the first question. "As for the snake, Chuutarou hit me with the family swords that had a magic property that could remove it from me. He, Takeda, and I cut it in half. Then it exploded and the skies cleared." Naruto smiled, happy to be up to date on everything, but he also gave a sympathetic look for the news of Shirasu.

"Hey." Naruto said eventually. "The hospital will open soon, so..." Soramaru got back in the house and changed into his clothes. "Aren't you taking them with you?" Naruto asked quietly, pointing to Tenka and Chuutarou who were asleep on the ground. Soramaru shook his head. "They've had a long day. They need sleep. I'll see ya." He said as he slipped out the door.


	10. He Didn't Leave

The sun had barely risen as Soramaru made his way to the hospital. Nishiki was the only thing on his mind. Had Sakura found a cure yet? How was Nishiki's condition? Was it possible that her heart had stopped-NO! He forbade himself to think anything along those lines. All he could do was hope. He ran the whole way there as fast as his legs could manage.

When he made it to the hospital, he found Sakura walking the halls to Nishiki's new room, the one he was allowed into. He tried to greet the pinkette politely, but that was hard to manage when he was gasping for air. "She's right over here." Sakura said, grabbing Soramaru's wrist and leading him to the room numbered 45.

Nishiki's condition hadn't changed. Soramaru noticed that Nishiki wore the same style of hospital clothes that he wore when he had been a patient. Her hair, which had been tangled due to spending all day in bed and the portal ride was combed so it was smooth and shiny. Red marks still marred her Fuma half and she still maintained a high fever. "How's she been? " He asked, pressing his palm to her forehead, which was still hot. "She hasn't changed." Sakura said. "I figured some stuff out though. I have a cure."

Nishiki's POV

Nishiki's sight was still out. When she awoke darkness was all she could see. She left her eyes shut. Her other senses had dulled more as well. When she tried to move her arms and legs, they refused. All the sounds and voices that she heard blurred together. Confusion was the only clear thing to her.

She could hear voices. They were hovering around her. The female voice chattered on mainly. "So, I think I've figured most of it out. The blood sample gave away quite a bit. I made a mixture of some herbs that might be useful."

"When will she be up again?" A familiar male voice asked. A moment of silence. " I don't know," the female voice said. "She woke up a few times last night." Nishiki tried and failed to remember waking up recently. "She's just woken up. Probably not enough to really process too much. Since you're the closest one to her, you choose how we should administer the medicine. I could inject it or have her drink it." The boy's voice held no hesitation. "Can you give it to her orally?"

"Your issue with needles again, huh?" The female said, her voice carrying some pity. "Yeah." The male voice responded.

Nishiki laid still and felt the top half of her body be elevated, so that she was almost sitting up. "How can you people tell when people are awake? It's kind of scary honestly."

A half laugh from the girl, "People?" She asked curiously.

"Kabuto." The boy answered. "I woke up in a cave. I didn't even open my eyes. He told me that it was pointless pretending to be asleep."

"Years of training. Medics are trained to notice the slightest changes in the 's why I could hear Naruto talking outside of the room yesterday. I got the feeling that you were nodding. But anyway, it's really all in the breath." She said happily.

Nishiki suddenly felt her mouth being pried open and an acidic tasting brew being poured down her throat. Poison! She thought, panicked. Her mind wasn't working correctly at the moment. She clamped her jaws shut before more could enter. Some spilled down her chin, the girl cursed and Nishiki was aware of a rag wiping away the liquid left on her face. She felt the cup pressing painfully into her lip, but she kept her jaws locked firmly.

Gentle fingers found their way to either side of her head. She fought them at first, trying to shake them away, but they held her head still. Nishiki was frightened and panicked to the point of tears, she didn't want any more poison in her system, she didn't want to be blind and confused any longer. "Nishiki," A clear voice said. "Look, it's okay, you're safe. It may taste terrible, but you have to just drink it. It will help you." She finally recognized the voice as Soramaru. "Master Soramaru?" She asked quietly, her voice weak. His fingers stroked her hair and his thumb ran along her face to wipe away a tear. "Yes, Nishiki. It's me. I'm right here for you."

The clay cup pressed against her lips again and this time she drank it. It tasted awful, her face contorted with disgust as she swallowed. She felt herself get tired after drinking the whole thing, the whole experience left her energy really drained. Before drifting off again a tear escaped from each eye, for a different reason this time. They were tears of joy. Soramaru hadn't left her as she thought he had, he was right there for her. A small smile spread across her lips as her mind went blank.

Soramaru's POV

Both of them practically slumped with relief when Nishiki slept again. Giving her medicine had been more difficult than either one expected it to be. "Considering how badly she reacted to that, I don't like to imagine what would happen if we stuck a needle in her arm." Sakura said as she cleaned the cup. Soramaru shuddered, the thought of needles was enough to make him sick.

"So how long will this take?" Soramaru asked Sakura.

"A few days probably." Sakura responded. " She might even possibly need a surgery." Soramaru nearly fell over in surprise. Surgery was terrifying, the idea of Nishiki going through one was hard for him to process. "You sure she would need a surgery?" He clarified. Sakura shrugged, "I did say possibly. Trust me on this, I was the one who fixed the wound on your stomach, remember." Soramaru couldn't forget. Orochimaru's operation on him had left him with a poorly treated wound and a lot of pain. He still had the scar, but it was smaller than he had expected it to be at the time. He had great trust in Sakura after she had healed him from the brink of death.

"I remember, the scar is still there. I trust you." He said quietly. "Well, I should get back to Tenka and Chuutarou. They'll want to see her too." He took a few steps forward when Sakura's hand grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him back. "By the way, I recall you saying that Tenka was dead and he was once the strongest person you knew. So, can you explain why he's here and in a wheelchair?" Soramaru sighed, he hoped that Sakura would let that matter slide. He was dead wrong. He gave her the same explanation that he had given Naruto. She seemed both intrigued and horrified by the part about the Orochi cells being used in a drug.

"So, the damage is permanent?" She asked for confirmation. Soramaru nodded. Sakura's face got a look that was so focused that Soramaru was scared to speak or even move. Her eyes were closed and her forehead was wrinkled in concentration."What is it?" He asked, finally daring to speak. Her beryl eyes opened and she snapped out of her daze. "Nothing, I just thinking." She said dismissively.

 **Yay! Trust in Soramaru regained! So, Nishiki will get better, hopefully, or maybe she won't...**

 **Anyway, later on in this story, I'm going to add some characters. They won't be main characters, but they will be supporting characters. I could go onto a baby names website and just find names that I like, but I think that it would be more fun to ask everyone who is reading this to comment and name that you like and if I think it would work for the character, I will name them that... Meanings of the names in the comments would be very helpful as well.**

 **Any name requests?**

 **P.S. Thank you to everyone who has read my stories. Please review!**


	11. Very Few Secrets

When Soramaru returned to Tenka and Chuutarou, his brothers did not seem happy that he left without them. "We love Nishiki too." Chuutarou (and Tenka) whined. Soramaru sighed. "Come on, stop being overdramatic about this. No one's barring your way to go see her. I just went earlier." They were eating breakfast with Naruto in his apartment. Cereal was new to them. "You still left without us." Tenka pointed out, using his spoon to emphasize his point. "Interdimensional travel is really tiring, this being your first time, you both needed some sleep." Soramaru reasoned.

They visited Nishiki together, there was little for everyone to do since she was sleeping. Soramaru and Chuutarou ended up going separate ways to carry out multiple D-rank missions. All day, they worked low paying, but easy jobs. Tenka, not knowing exactly what to do, joined Soramaru on his mission of cleaning a local park in the evening. "Hey," Tenka said eventually, "There are some things that you've avoided telling us." Soramaru bit his lip as he discarded a candy wrapper into a trash bag.

"Who was Orochimaru? What happened to you?" Tenka continued. Soramaru paused and took a seat on a bench next to Tenka. His task was completed, anyway. "I told you, I was captured for a little while and some people here saved me." Tenka stared at his brother, his eyes like steel. "Yeah, that may be true, but you're not telling the whole story!" Tenka's tone was so intense that it made Soramaru gasp. There were only a few times in his memory that Tenka used a tone like this. The most recent being when he returned from Gokumonjo.

"Please," Tenka said, his voice gentler, "What happened?" Soramaru exhaled. He didn't want Tenka to know, he was moving on just fine, he didn't want pity or comfort. Yet, he knew that he needed the comfort so badly. The memories of the labs still ran strong in his brain. Sometimes just the memories were too much to bare. He heaved a sigh, not knowing where to start. "They experimented on me. I got a needle in my eye occasionally. The worst was when the Orochi began to take shape, the scales form and they removed some of them." He began. Tenka drew a sharp breath. He knew what that was like, he remembered the Orochi drugs being implanted into him all too well.

"They kept me in a tank and made me share a room with a guy who would just never shut up." Soramaru said, recalling his roommate, Suigetsu. They never really became friends, but that was the only semi-friendly company that he ever had. He expressed his memories of some of his worst experiments. Then he talked about his solitary time in a hydro capsule. "Eventually, Orochimaru died and with no one running the whole system, I almost starved. I thought I was dead, but Naruto broke me out of there at the last second, and Sakura saved me when I was on the verge of death."

"Why didn't you ever tell us?" Tenka asked, his voice raised in rage. The anger directed at himself for failing to protect Soramaru. "I tried to put it behind me, and I never knew where to start if I ever told anyone."

Tenka lowered his head. "I'm sorry! I am so sorry that I couldn't save you from that!" Soramaru brought his head down to Tenka's level and saw tears dripping from his brother's eyes. "It wasn't your fault." Soramaru said. "It helped me learn things. What you went through, what I value. On top of that, if that had never happened, we wouldn't be able to help Nishiki." Tenka nodded, but was obviously not convinced. Soramaru sighed. "Look, Tenka. All in all, as awful as the experience was, it has made me stronger. Besides, if I hadn't met Naruto, I would have been more willing to die in order to kill the Orochi. I guess you can say, despite how many times I was close to death, the labs saved me." Soramaru managed a smile, as did Tenka.

"Let's go back to Naruto's house." Soramaru said, pushing Tenka's wheelchair in that direction. "So, um.. are you going to let Chuutarou know about all this. I think we've established that there should be very few secrets in the Kumou household." Tenka asked, Soramaru paused. He noticed that Tenka hadn't said _no_ secrets in the Kumou household. He figured they would all have some secrets, some that would be meant to be kept. "Maybe," Soramaru thought aloud. "I don't want to keep him in the dark, I know how frustrating that can be. I'll tell him, but only if he asks." He decided as he pushed Tenka back to Naruto's apartment.

 **Hey! So, any suggestions? Please review!**


	12. The Surgery

"It's not looking good." Sakura said as she sterilized a scalpel. Soramaru looked at Nishiki with worry glazed eyes. The medicine that had been administered to her had worked, but according to Sakura, there were some problems aside from the red marks.

The rash had receded, but left two purplish lumps, one on Nishiki's neck, the other on her wrist. "What happened?" Soramaru asked. Sakura explained, this illness was new to her, so she groped for words to explain it. "Well, as far as I know, the marks were caused by an issue with her chakra. I still haven't determined the cause. Anyway, the medicine forced it to concentrate at the point of entry."

Soramaru nodded although he only understood so much. He could only process one thing now, Sakura was going to preform a surgery on Nishiki. Seeing a scalpel forced chills up and down his spine. "Are you sure you have to operate on her?" He asked. Sakura sighed, "Yeah, I have to. If those lumps aren't removed soon, it could result in death or paralysis. There are some other things that need to be done, but the lumps are the primary concern."

"Removing them will be tricky," Tenka said darkly from next to Soramaru. "They're near two main arteries. Cut one of them and you could have a severe dilemma on your hands." Sakura gulped and nodded. She was well aware of the risks and fully knowledgeable about the consequences of a single mistake. "I know." She said simply. She hated this feeling, right before a surgery. Every time she could feel the weight of each movement of her hand. The feeling never got old. Every surgery was quite often just as terrifying as her first.

"I should really start soon." She said. The Kumou brothers nodded, but still remained where they were. "Could you guys possibly leave the room?" Chuutarou got up first, but before leaving, he went to Nishiki's bedside and patted her arm gently. "Get better, Nishiki." He said softly, before exiting. Tenka rolled over in his wheelchair he also patted her shoulder, but said nothing. He used his functioning side to propel himself out out of the operation room. Soramaru stood next to Nishiki, but said nothing. He put a hand on Nishiki's forehead. Then in a voice so quiet that Sakura didn't even hear it, he said. "Just... be alright...please."

As he left he turned back to look Sakura in the eyes. "I trust you." He said, before leaving to join his brothers. He meant the words to be encouraging, but to Sakura they were a stressor. This girl meant so much to them, and here her life was in Sakura's hands. "That's what worries me." She whispered to herself under her breath. That could end up being a mistake. She added to to herself in her mind. She shut her eyes for a moment, no room for uncertainty. So, the surgery began.

.

.

.

Chuutarou ran off to be alone for an hour, but came back for dinner. After dinner, Tenka and Chuutarou went straight to bed. Soramaru didn't go to bed. He knew that all sleep attempts were futile.

He sat on the balcony ledge next to Naruto. "Any idea how long the surgery will take?" Naruto asked. Soramaru sighed.

"Sakura said it should take about all night." Worry kept Soramaru awake, but his mind and body were exhausted and just about at their limits. "Why don't you sleep?" Naruto asked. Soramaru offered a tired, strained smile. "How I deal with stress, I can't sleep. I was a mess when we thought Tenka died." He said, he looked back into the room at his brothers. "It's funny, they have a totally opposite reaction. They cope with stress by sleeping." Despite the circumstances, Naruto managed a smile.

Nishiki will be fine. Soramaru thought to himself. He had faith in Sakura, but his nerves gave him doubts. "Sakura said that she'd let us know when it over." Soramaru said still sick to his stomach with thoughts of surgery in his head. Naruto nodded, not saying anything. "I'm going to wait at the hospital. I can't sit still here."

"You sure you want to do that?" Naruto asked. "She'll be really mad if you distract her." Soramaru shook his head, he knew about Sakura's wrath. His care for Nishiki outweighed his fear of Sakura. "I won't distract her. I'll just wait at the hospital, it's not like I'm going in the operation room." Naruto sighed, he knew that Soramaru could be ridiculously stubborn. Really, Naruto could stop him if he wanted to, but if he were in Soramaru's shoes, he would do the same thing. "I'll see you later, then." Naruto said.

.

.

.

Soramaru was curled up next to the door of Nishiki's hospital room. He could hear things, things that brought back some memories. A surgical knife cutting skin. The lead surgeon giving orders. The rhythmic beeps of a heart beat monitor. His skin crawled at hearing every sound. He gritted his teeth and curled into a tighter ball, trying to shut out the thoughts.

He sat there, waiting for minutes, then hours. He didn't know how long he'd been waiting or how long he would continue to wait. His entire body screamed for sleep, but his mind was too unsettled and it would not be calm until news came that Nishiki was okay. So, he stayed there.

Eventually, Sakura exited the room. Soramaru was on his feet in an instant. "How is she?" He asked,his hands on Sakura's shoulders. She yelped in surprise at him jumping out in front of her. When she regained her composure, she slapped him lightly on the head, she was fatigued and couldn't do much else. "Were you trying to give me a heart attack just now?" She asked, annoyed. She'd literally been working from dusk until dawn. Despite her tiredness she smiled and said,"The surgery was a success. With some recovery time, she'll be back to normal."

Soramaru wrapped his arms around her. "Thank you!" He said loudly. Sakura awkwardly hugged him back. "Quiet down," She said softly. "We're in a hospital." Soramaru pulled away, still smiling. "Can I see her, please?" He asked in a quieter voice. He was by Nishiki's side the second Sakura nodded. This was one of the parts of the job that she liked, the happiness of a good end result. She grinned before trudging off home to sleep away the next 24 hours. She needed it.

The window's shades were up and the sun was just peaking over the horizon. Nishiki was still asleep. There was not a trace of the ominous red marks or purple lumps. Scars were left on her neck and wrist, but at the moment Soramaru couldn't have cared less. He sat down in a chair that was next to Nishiki's bedside. "She did it, Nishiki. You made it." Relieved tears welled up in his eyes and he smiled before his body and mind hit their official limits and world faded to darkness.

 **Any name suggestions? Any comments in general? Please review!**


	13. Finally Awake

Nishiki's eyes opened, and she could see for the first time in a week. A soft setting sun light filled the room through a large window. The upper half of her body was propped up. She tried to sit up on her own, but she lacked the necessary strength. She swiveled her head to get an idea of her surroundings. What happened? I know I was blind for awhile. Then I drank that thing and I heard his voice.

Her eyes found Soramaru. He was sitting in a chair by her bedside, asleep. His elbows on his knees, and his head in his hands. "Master Soramaru?" She said quietly. He stirred and it took a minute before his eyes opened and he found her."Nishiki!" He exclaimed excitedly before moving closer to embrace her. Nishiki didn't understand what the extra affection was about, but she didn't resist. "What happened?" She asked.

Soramaru looked surprised for a moment. "Oh, right you were kind of out of it for the whole time. Well, you were really sick and you had weird marks all over your Fuuma half." He began. He explained the other dimension and his ninja friends here." So, how do you feel, just coming out of surgery?" He asked when he was done explaining.

Nishiki's stomach emitted a low growl. "I feel a lot better. I'm a little hungry." She said quietly. A medical ninja whom Soramaru didn't know came through the door, carrying a bowl of broth. The medic left, leaving the broth on a tray at Nishiki's side. Her arms were tired and so sore that she flinched in pain when she tried to move them. Soramaru took the spoon and held it near Nishiki's mouth. She blushed, feeling awkward in the situation. However, Soramaru insisted and her hunger won her over.

The soup was hot, it was most likely plain chicken broth, but somehow the flavor was one that Nishiki had never experienced before. Soramaru was quiet for a time, as they watched the last of the sun set together. "There were times when I thought you wouldn't open your eyes again." He said softly. Her eyes widened, her cheeks flushed. "I was scared you left me." She said even more softly. He turned to her. "What? Why would you think I'd leave you?" He asked gently. Nishiki sighed a little.

"In a certain context, it looked like that. I was blind, you asked if you 'should just leave me,' you put me in a stranger's arms, and just said they were 'good people.' Then I heard a door shut and I couldn't hear your voice anymore." Nishiki said, shuddering at the memory. "I thought I would never hear it again." She finished. Soramaru's eyes widened. "I'm so sorry I didn't explain anything to you!" He said. Nishiki smiled, his apology was so sincere. "I'm happy I can hear your voice." She whispered.

They sat there talking quietly for a while. "Where is Master Tenka and Chuutarou?" She asked eventually. Soramaru seemed to just remember something. "Oh, right. They're probably still at Naruto's place." Soramaru gave her an embarrassed smile.

Soramaru's brothers burst through the door. "Nishiki! You're awake!" Chuutarou cried happily, jumping next to her bed. Chuutarou wrapped his arms around her, as much as he could anyway, with the positioning of the bed. Nishiki would have hugged him back, but her arms were still recovering. "It's good to see you again." She said.

Tenka rolled in. "Hey, Nishiki. How are you feeling?" Nishiki smiled. Having all of them here was a blessing. "I am feeling very well. Thank you." They sat together in the room, enjoying eachother's company for an hour, before a hospital staff made the Kumou brothers leave to let Nishiki rest. Despite the little activity that she had accomplished, she was spent.

The three brothers went to Naruto's house and finally slept easily through the night


	14. Here For Me Now

Nishiki awoke with a start. Her heart was pounding, sweat beaded on her forehead, her skin was clammy. She felt as though she just ran a hundred miles. Her nightmares never left her alone. Well, to be fair, they were more flashbacks than they were nightmares.

"Are you alright?" A girl with short, pink hair asked. Nishiki recognized her was the girl who had taken her from Soramaru when she first came here. "I'm fine. Who are you?" Nishiki asked, cutting to the chase. The pinkette introduced herself as Sakura Haruno. "I was just filling out a patient status update and I came to give you breakfast." She said as she set a bowl of oatmeal on a tray next to the bed. "How are you feeling? You seem to be recovering very well."

"I feel a lot better. Thank you." Nishiki said, beginning to eat her oatmeal. She inwardly let out a sigh of relief that her arms were able to move again and that she was able to feed herself. Sakura smiled. "That's good to hear." Sakura said, continuing to fill out the report. "Oh, and if you're wondering, Soramaru and his brothers are doing some jobs around the village." Nishiki nodded, she knew them well enough and figured it was good to have something to keep them occupied.

"There's another thing," Sakura said, her colloquial tone becoming more serious. "How you just woke up, you were having a nightmare, weren't you?" Nishiki nodded and shrugged. "Well, it was just a nightmare." Nishiki said, ignoring the knowledge that her bad dreams were getting worst and worst. "I doubt that." Sakura said. Nishiki bit the inside of her cheek. "I can tell when something is 'just a nightmare'. What you were dreaming obviously wasn't. I'm worried for your mental state." Nishiki couldn't deny Sakura's words very well.

Nishiki didn't know how to respond. Sakura took a seat on a chair next to Nishiki's bed. "Look," She said gently. "Is there someone you trust?" Nishiki nodded, an image of Soramaru instantly popping into her head. "If you feel ready, you should talk to them about it."

"I don't think I want to do that." Nishiki said. "That is my burden to carry. Also, I'll be weak." She knew that she had been weak when Soramaru took her in. She'd been half dead, for crying out loud. Still, her teachings as a Fuuma remained lodged deep within her. "Really, I think that trust is letting someone carry half of the burden, it's letting them see you in your weakened state." Sakura said, looking out of the window. "Some fears or weaknesses are natural and they're what make us human." Sakura gathered her papers and started to leave. "That's what makes us human?" Nishiki repeated softly as Sakura left.

.

.

.

Nishiki thought a lot about what Sakura said. She decided that she would tell Soramaru. The weight of her past weighed heavily on her, but she did trust him. Possibly, he would be willing to carry half of her burden with her.

Soramaru came in an hour later, smiling. "Hi, Nishiki. How are you feeling?" He asked. "I'm alright." She said softly. He looked at her, instantly suspecting that she was tired or her fever had risen again. "Are you sure you're alright? I could get you some medicine, if you need it." She shook her head, the words that she had thought to say to him, gone. "Tenka and Chuutarou will come by later, I finished my jobs early." He said.

Nishiki knew that revealing the secrets behind her nightmares would be a now or never thing. "Master Soramaru," She said," You once said that if I ever wanted to talk about the nightmares that I had that night, you would be there." He nodded, understanding what she was saying. "Please," She said, her voice begging. "Please. Be here for me now."

He nodded and took a seat next to her bed. "I said I would be there for you, and I meant what I said." Nishiki took a deep breath and began her story.


	15. Her Story

You remember that nightmare I had,(Nishiki began) the one you had to shake me awake from? I said it was "just a nightmare", that wasn't entirely true. It was a more like flashback.

I was born in the Fuuma village. I loved it there, it was home. I understand what you may think the Fuuma, after the incident with Shirasu, but still... I never really thought about the beauty of the place until it was gone. I never cared about the dew drops that hung on the branches or the gentle shine of the river in the moonlight. After I fled, all I had were memories that I looked at over and over in my head. I feel like those memories are still apart of me, that place may not be home anymore and I don't want to go back, but I'm still going to cling to them.

I was one of two children born to an upper middle class family. I had an older sister, her name was Aneko. My parents were gone on missions a majority of the time, so it often fell to her to watch me.

You know about the rite of passage in the Fuuma clan, I told you about it in the woods that one time. There were many who opposed it. The tenth chief, Kotar- Shirasu was in training to be the next head before I left. He disagreed with it as well. My sister hated it, yet she was a full fledged Fuuma. She used a cousin of ours whom she was close to. The fate was forced on us. She wasn't the same after she went through the rite.

Aneko was the strongest person I ever knew. I wish I ended up more like her. In both appearance and personality. She was energetic, encouraging. In a way, she was a lot like Master Tenka. Which is kind of why I didn't talk to him much when you first introduced us. His personality reminded me so much of her. As good as the memories of her are they carry a deep bitterness as well.

She may have disagreed with the rite, but we both knew it was something that couldn't be avoided. Our parents were never around, leaving only one option. She told me what had to be done. "Nishiki," She said at dinner one night. "You're five now. It's about time you go through the rite." I shook my head, knowing full well what she was implying. "I don't want to!" I cried. "Mother and Father are never around. I can't lose you!" She sighed.

"I know, and I disagree with the rite, but still, it's tradition. You'll be banished from the clan if you can't do it. You know that." I shook my head again, refusing to look her in the eyes. "Nishiki, you must do it." She said. I understood, to the Fuuma, freedom is more painful than death.

I cried. Normally, ninjas are strictly told to show no emotions. Aneko didn't rebuke me harshly, she let me cry into her shoulder. "Listen to me," She said as she pried me off of her for a minute, so she could look me in the eyes. "When it happens, be strong, don't cry, and remember that it will all be okay." She wiped away my tears and smiled. "I believe in you." Although she hated the rite, she was loyal to the Fuuma.

One week later, she decided it was time. She laid a Kunai in my hand, and whispered the order in my ear. I stood, frozen. I knew that disobeying orders was reason for severe punishment, but my body locked up. Two of my friends who were fledged watched us, quite often the rite required some witnesses. Aneko looked at them nervously, she didn't want them to know that this duel was coordinated and that I was really unable to kill her. She lunged at me with her kunai, and I raised mine to defend myself.

Had I not been aware of what was going on, I would have assumed it was a normal sparring match. "You know what to do." Her gentle voice said into my ear as she slashed my shoulder. The cut wasn't deep, but I knew that it would scar. Her eyes, for the first time were hard. Don't disappoint me. They said. Disappointing her seemed worse than freedom. She lunged at me, her eyes still cold. Fear surged through me. I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment, and raised my blade. I know she could have easily dodged it, but she let it hit her squarely in the chest.

I gasped as her blood splattered onto my face, into my hair, and onto my hands. She drew a sharp breath and forced a smile. "I knew you could do it." My hands began to shake, she must have seen the unshed tears in my eyes and put a hand on my cheek. "Don't cry." She said sternly. "I'm sorry to leave you alone, but it will be okay. I know you'll find someone and you won't have to be on your own." Her hand slipped from my cheek to my shoulder. She clung to it like a lifeline. My whole body was trembling. "Stop that." she said, her voice and grip on my shoulder getting weaker.

"I remember how this felt." She said quietly. "I know that right now, you're probably assuming that you'll never smile or laugh again. You will find a way, you're my sister after all. I know that soon you'll use the strength that you never knew you had to put one foot in front of the other." She coughed up blood, and a single tear escaped one of her eyes, but she was smiling. "I love you, Nishiki. Be happy." Then her hand released my shoulder and her body slumped to the ground.

I stood there paralyzed by shock. Nothing seemed real. She couldn't be dead,she couldn't be. My friend, Yuki, came over to check Aneko's pulse. I couldn't hear anything that she said, but I remember being led to a box, surrounded by darkness. I swallowed as it entombed me.

I could feel it, eating away at me. That was the worst feeling ever, it burned, torn, and stung all at the same time. The blackness of my hair began to fade. My eye took on a violet shade. Aneko's blood still stained me and left a red splotch on my newly white hair. Why are Fuumas' hair white?It should be red. Sleep was impossible. The scene of Aneko's death played itself over and over again. Insanity was taking me, no doubt.

I didn't know how long I was in there for. I knew that days had passed. I had to get out, every bone I had screamed at me to leave the darkness. I knew there had to be a way to escape. If one's will wasn't strong enough, their punishment was freedom. At the time, I didn't care. The darkness may as well have been worst than death and freedom combined.

I remember feeling my way around the box and finding a weak spot, where the hinges had been intentionally weakened for those as weak willed as I was. I doubted that many had tried to escape. I kicked as hard as I could against the soft spot. It shuddered, but didn't give way. I focused all of my energy into the second kick as my knee rammed against the wall. It broke.

I crawled out, I don't remember finding my way out of the darkness, but I did. I left with just the clothes on my back. I ended up living in the woods for a while, my survival training taught me well. I managed to get a cloak that some unlucky traveller had lost, and when going into town I hid my Fuuma half.

I understood what pain freedom brought. I couldn't function on my own well. I needed orders, I was dieing without them. After some coal dust on my hair, an eye patch over my purple eye, and a lot of begging, I got a job to help a kind fruit vendor woman. She never had children, and treated me well. Though I think she worried about me because I never smiled. I was paid in food and orders. I slept in the woods even though she offered me a place in her home. I was taught not to trust people. Some things I learned in the village stuck with me more than others.

I often had nightmares. I couldn't put the past behind me. The guilt of leaving was not existent when I had left, but then, it grew. It was like a wild animal inside of me, trying to claw its way out. It torn me apart.

Eventually I heard that my entire clan had been wiped out. I remember handing a customer his bag of fruit as he told my employer about the annihilation of the Fuuma. I think I fainted. I know I was no longer part of the clan and that I probably wasn't even considered family to them, but still, they had at one point been my parents, cousins, or friends. They were gone, just like that, the foundation that my life had originally been built on crumbled. I heard how it happened, and how the culprit was in Gokumonjo prison. I made up my mind to seek him out and avenge my former clan. There was little hope, but I held out hope that they would forgive me.

I left the fruit vendor after I turned fourteen, she seemed sad that I was leaving and tried to talk me out of it. In the end, I left and she gave me a little money. I spent that money on a pink wig that had bangs that would hide my eye. Then I managed to get myself a job at the prison. I climbed the ranks and became a jailer. Every day, trying to figure out where the killer was kept. I worked there for about two more years. The search was fruitless, until a certain infiltrator came 's when I met you.


	16. Family

"I feel like this illness was a punishment." Nishiki said, barely holding herself together. "For what?" Soramaru asked gently, putting a hand on top of her's. Nishiki pushed her tears and cries deep into her throat. "For leaving the Fuuma, for turning from my upbringing." She voice broke. "For not completing the rite." She'd cried in front of Soramaru before, but for some reason, now she was fighting back tears. "Would she hate me?" Nishiki asked no one in particular. "Would she hate me because I took her life and didn't go all the way?"

She shut her eyes, trying to pull herself together. Before any tears could escape, Soramaru yanked a layer of sheets from Nishiki's bed and threw them over her head. She opened her eyes, surprised and confused, looking around, seeing only the white of the thin blanket. "What-?" She began.

"Don't hold the tears in." He said softly. "It's not bad to cry, it's natural. You can be level headed afterwards." She realized that he was giving her privacy to let her emotions go.

His words brought out the pain that she kept bottled up inside for so long. The tears burned her eyes, and yet it felt so good to be rid of them. "She wouldn't hate you." Soramaru's voice drifted through the sheets. She felt Soramaru's arm go around her shoulders. Normally, being embraced so unexpectedly would make her flinch, but his touch was so comforting, and she couldn't help but lean into it. Nishiki accepted every shred of comfort he offered her. She wasn't done sobbing for another hour and even then tears flowed uncontrollably. She slid the bed sheet off of her head. "I don't mind if you see this." She said quietly. Soramaru sat by her the entire time. He looked deeply into her eyes. "It isn't good to hold them in. Crying is not a weakness." She smiled and wiped away her tears. Crying had made her feel better.

"Where did you learn that?" She asked curiously. He smiled, not happily, not sadly, but the smile wasn't hallow either. "Master Sousei. It was back then. With the Orochi, I asked him to cut me down and he refused. 'Honoring grief is the measure of a true warrior.' He said."

Nishiki wiped her eyes. "I'm glad you told me." Soramaru said.

"I'm glad I told you too. I was scared to tell. I was afraid you would reject me." Soramaru stared at her. She suddenly realized how that sounded. "I mean I don't think of you as the type to reject people like that, but it's just..." Nishiki tried to find the right words for what she meant. "It's okay." Soramaru said, smiling, he understood. "You're apart of the family, Nishiki. Tenka said so and Chuutarou and I agree. When I was about to leave home and take you here, I was planning on it just being the two of us. I thought it would be best to travel with as few people as we could, but Tenka wouldn't let that happen. He said something along the lines of you becoming a member of the family the moment I introduced you to them."

Nishiki's eyes widened. She had seen herself as a part of the Kumou household, but family was something that she had never let herself consider. "Family?" She repeated, not truly believing it. She was raised to believe that bonds were formed only with blood. "Family." Soramaru confirmed. Nishiki smiled and almost allowed herself to giggle. The idea of being one of these people, people who were kind, people who were loyal to each other, people who wore warm smiles was exhilerating.

.

.

.

Tenka and Chuutarou eventually showed up, finished with their D-rank missions. By then, Nishiki's tears had dried and they seemed to be a faint memory. The fact that Nishiki had just accepted became so real to her. These people were now her family. These people who had taken her, a stranger, into their home and pulled her into being one of them. It filled her with joy.

For the first time in such a long time, Nishiki slept soundly. The same could not be said for Soramaru.

 **Love it? Hate it? Please Review!**


	17. Her Sister's Ghost

It wasn't so much nightmares that kept him up that night. It was Nishiki's story. Her sister. How her sister died. He had known the Fuuma rite of passage ever since Nishiki told him a while ago. She explained what had to be done, and yet, hearing it in detail had made it so much more real.

Aneko had died at the hands of her own sister. Her own flesh and blood. The idea of it made his skin crawl. His parents never left him a sister, so he couldn't figure out exactly what it was like. He just assumed having sisters was like having brothers, only they would be girls. Trying to put himself in Nishiki's shoes, he figured that what she had done would be about equivalent to killing Tenka. Unthinkable.

He didn't view Nishiki in a different light right after their talk, but at night, at night, her words really hit home. She was sweet, kind, and gentle now, but who had she been before. Who had he taken into his home just a few months ago?

It's not like I can just throw her out. He thought. Her past shouldn't have mattered, all that mattered now was that she was different. Right?

He rolled over to find a different position to sleep in. His eyebrows furrowed as an image of Nishiki as a killer appeared in his mind. "She never was that person!" A female voice cried. Soramaru bolted upright. Who was there?

Tenka, Chuutarou, and Naruto slept on, undisturbed. "They can't hear me." The voice said. Soramaru looked around the small apartment, trying to find whomever was talking. His eyes landed on a woman standing in the middle of the kitchen. Well, barely woman, she had a timeless quality that made it so she could have been between the ages of 15 or 18.

She wasn't normal. He could tell. Her hair was like a pearl. The shade was obviously white, but it seemed to gently shimmer with multiple colors, it didn't quite make it to her hip. Her eyes were amethysts. Just like her hair, they caught the moonlight that shone through the window and bent the light into a shining aura around her. Her skin radiated a soft glow. The only thing about her that was dark was her clothes. She was wearing the same ninja gear that he had once seen Nishiki wear. She was Fuuma, had he not known better, he would have assumed she was a goddess. Somehow, she looked vaguely familiar.

"Who are you?" He whispered, careful not to wake the others in the room. Her brow furrowed, not understanding his words. "Huh?" She asked, at a normal volume. His eyes nervously skimmed faces of the sleeping people in the room. He shushed her and again tried to ask her identity. "I can't hear you when you mumble like that. They won't be able to hear you. Talk normally!" She practically yelled. Soramaru looked around nervously, not wanting to wake anyone, then eventually decided to do as she said. "Who are you?" He asked, his voice at regular volume.

His brothers and Naruto didn't stir at all. "Finally," The girl said,"Something that I can actually hear! You asked who I am. You should know, but I'll tell you anyway. My name is Aneko." Soramaru's eyes widened. That couldn't be possible, there was no way that this person could be Nishiki's dead older sister. There could be different dimensions, but death was death. "I'm dreaming." He said getting up and walking toward her. "There's no way you can be here. Nishiki said that you died 11 years ago. You're just apart of this dream I'm having, which is a result of Nishiki telling me her past."

"No. I'm not a dream, you're awake." She said calmly. Soramaru stood face to face with her, she was a little taller than him, but shorter than Tenka. "Nope, I'm positive that I'm dreaming and I'll wake up in the morning and laugh about this." Without a word, Aneko slapped him across the face. He yelped as the sting made its way around his cheek."You're not dreaming." She said, "If you had been, I doubt that would have hurt."

Soramaru rubbed his cheek, his dreams involved pain, but quite often, the pain was dulled to the point that only fear remained. Her slap was all too real to be a dream. "You could have been gentler about proving your point." He said, rubbing his stinging cheek. She laughed, Soramaru tilted his head. After seeing her up close, he could see traces of Nishiki in the woman. Nishiki's nose, Nishiki's eyelashes, Nishiki's chin. "So, you're her sister?" He asked. She nodded. "Why are you here? Aren't you dead?" He questioned.

"Yes," Aneko said. "I am dead. I was killed 11 years ago, as my sister told you. As for why I'm here, a few things. Take a seat." She said pulling out a chair for him and sitting in one herself. She seemed a little more laid back than Nishiki.

He sat down next to her. She crossed her legs and leaned forward. "Well, to start, thank you for taking Nishiki in. I was scared she wouldn't make it after she was attacked by Kagami. She worried me when she was in Gokumonjo. Your little pep talk really helped her." Aneko smiled.

He smiled back, but instantly threw the ghost a questioning look. "Well, I'm glad we took her in." Soramaru meant it, with all of his being. He was grateful that she became apart of the family. "I'm just wondering now. Why did you come see me instead of Nishiki? You're her sister, after was crying today after telling me what happened." Aneko's face turned serious.

"I would talk to her, but for the moment, you're not the one who's on painkillers. Also, the idea of her killing someone has gotten to you, hasn't it?" Soramaru looked down as his face reddened. She was right. "G-ghosts are able to read thoughts?" He mumbled, embarrassed because despite his thoughts mainly being turned on Nishiki, his mind was a jumble of private thoughts and personal feelings."I'm able to read faces, not minds." Aneko said dismissively. Soramaru let out a breath of relief. "Anyway," She continued. "She never killed me. I sacrificed myself. Stop thinking she did something like that." Soramaru nodded.

"And I need you to tell her that." Soramaru looked up, surprised and confused. His eyes must have shown it. "Huh?" He asked. She looked at him with serious purple eyes. "She's been living in guilt over this for years. It wasn't her fault. I heard what she said. How she thought I hate her because she didn't complete the rite. I need you to tell her that I still love her and that I want her to be happy." Her eyes weren't pleading, they were commanding. Almost threatening. "Why can't you tell her?" He asked, the idea of telling Nishiki something like that...

"I told you before, she's on painkillers and she's a very logical person, there is almost nothing logical about ghosts. She would probably think that I was a hallucination. She trusts you. You need to tell her!" Soramaru looked at her nervously. Her reasoning was very logical. "Is there any way I can prove that you said said so?" He asked. Nishiki would probably think that he was losing his mind. Aneko's face turned thoughtful. "Tell her that I mentioned the climbing tree behind the stream. She'll remember that." Soramaru nodded. "I'm going to have to leave soon. Any questions?"

"What was Nishiki like, before it happened? Will you visit her?" Soramaru asked. She tilted her head, thinking about what to say. "Well, before it happened. She was happy, energetic, and loving. Seriously, the sweetest child one could ever meet. Really, even though she was born into the clan, I don't think she was meant to be a full fledged Fuuma. My clan is brutal, she was too gentle. She would help any person or animal that needed help. She would even try to revive fallen butterflies. I'll visit her tomorrow night, tell her that too."

"I will." Soramaru said. "But, really. How do I know this isn't a dream?" Aneko leaned forward, her hand readied to slap him again. He flinched and shut his eyes, preparing for the blow. It didn't come. He opened his eyes to find her hand was transparent and phasing in and out of his face. Aneko laughed as Soramaru shied away with a disturbed look on his face. She got up, pulled a spoon out of a drawer, with a solid hand, and put it on the windowsill. "This will still be here in the morning. That will prove that I was really here." Soramaru got up from the chair and went to his spot on the floor. "Thanks again for taking my sister in. When I told her I that knew she'd find someone, I thought it would be a friend or cousin from the Fuuma. I'm happy it ended up being your family."Aneko said as she began to fade. "I'm glad I got the chance to meet you. Good bye." Her eyes closed and she disappeared.

Soramaru was left in the dark. His brothers and Naruto asleep. He laid back down tired. How would he tell Nishiki? He would figure that out in the morning. But for the time being, he pulled the blanket to his chest and slept.

 **BOOM! Plot twist! Nishiki's sister! Any thoughts on this? Love it? Hate it? Please review!**


	18. Telling Her

"Hey, Nishiki." Soramaru said as he came through the doorway. Tenka and Chuutarou were hanging out with Naruto, and Soramaru wanted to check on Nishiki. She'd recovered very well. Sakura said that it would be a good idea for Nishiki to get some fresh air in her lungs.

Soramaru had brought the change of clothes that he had packed to the hospital. "Sakura said that you could finally stretch your legs." Soramaru told her handing her the folded clothes. "If you want to." He added. Nishiki smiled, obviously happy to leave the cramped room. "I would love to." She said as Soramaru backed out of the room to give her privacy.

He leaned against the outside wall as she changed her clothes. The spoon had been on the windowsill. Aneko needed him to tell Nishiki. He wasn't sure how to bring it up in casual conversation, but he still had to tell her. Nishiki opened the door, dressed in her normal attire. She and Soramaru walked side by side around the village. Being with him like this was nice. Nishiki no longer felt lonely. The wind was refreshing on her face and the village was so peaceful.

Soramaru knew that he had to get the news of Aneko to Nishiki at some point. As they passed a tree that he had once laid down by in the light of the sun, he made up his mind. "Hey, Nishiki." He said, "Let's just sit down by this tree for a little bit." She agreed to and they sat beneath it together. "So," He asked casually, "How do you like the village? This would be your first time actually seeing it, right?" She nodded.

"I like the village a lot. It's so peaceful and all the people seem happy." Soramaru smiled, that had been his first impression of the village as well. His smile faded as he said, "I need to tell you something."

.

.

.

"What?" Nishiki asked, her voice full of disbelief. Soramaru nodded. Nishiki didn't know whether to laugh, cry, humor him, or find Sakura to check on his mental state. "That's impossible. Ghosts aren't real, and besides why would she wait this long to talk?" Soramaru shrugged.

"You look a lot like her." He said quietly. Nishiki shook her head, all her life she wished that she could look more like her sister. In her mind, they barely resembled each other. "She said you would doubt that story. So, do you have any memories of a climbing tree behind the stream." Nishiki's breath caught in her throat. The climbing tree... Had she told him about that? No, she left that part out. She could remember climbing the tree everyday with Aneko. Everyday, the branches shook as they scaled them. Everyday, they came down laughing.

"So, what you're saying is true..." Nishiki said in a soft voice. After all that time, she couldn't believe it. "She came to me so I could tell you. You're a logical person, and you have been on painkillers lately. She said that you would think she was a hallucination." Nishiki considered what he said and nodded, that did sound like her. "She's planning on seeing you again tonight." Nishiki had a hard time containing her feelings, both negative and positive.

 **Hello! Sorry this chapter was so short... The next one will be longer. I've been busy with writing other fanfictions, so.. yeah. The story so far, Love it? Hate it?Please Review!**


	19. Reunited

Nishiki sat up in her bed, ready for anything. Her sister, who died all those years ago was coming back. She still couldn't process the information clearly. She had refused the painkillers just to make sure this was not a hallucination. Her whole body throbbed a bit. Then again, she thought, one could always have pain induced hallucinations. She got bored of staring straight ahead and looked down at her hands. She traced the new scar on her wrist with her finger, her tired, stressed mind found the shape quite interesting.

"Nishiki." A very familiar voice said from next to her. She stopped poking at her wrist, and she knew who saw standing by her bedside. The second she looked up, she was tackled in a hug. She couldn't see much, just shining white hair. She hugged back, unable to resist.

When the two sisters finally separated, Nishiki bit her lip, forcing back tears. Happy tears, sad tears, tears of every emotion. "Am I allowed to cry now?" She asked in a small voice. Aneko laughed, looking close to tears herself. "We're allowed to cry now." So, they cried. They were reunited, for a limited time, but reunited, nonetheless.

"I missed you so much." Nishiki said. "I missed having you to teach me, guide me, and just you being there in general." Nishiki suddenly remembered the reason why her sister had been gone in the first place. "Please forgive me!" She cried out suddenly. Aneko tilted her head, confused. "For what?" She asked. The younger sister's voice came out in choked shallow gasps. "I killed you. I was too weak to complete the rite. I failed you so completely."

Aneko grabbed Nishiki's shoulders, almost roughly. "Listen," She said, her voice level headed. "You didn't kill me. I jumped into the blade, just because you held it doesn't mean you're the one who killed me." Nishiki didn't seem convinced. "As for finishing the rite, what does it matter?"

"You died in vain." Nishiki answered.

"No, I didn't." Aneko said firmly. "Nishiki, you lived. That was the only reason why I'm a ghost now. Did I think you would live in the Fuuma clan? Yes. But you ended up in such a better place. If anything, I'm content with how things worked out." Nishiki looked up, still only half convinced. "Believe me when I say that." The eldest finished.

"Why did you wait all this time to show yourself?" Nishiki asked. She was almost angry, she had missed her sister so much and never saw her ever. Aneko sighed, "Unfortunately, seeing you in our world is difficult. I don't know why, but I never could. Coming here, I don't understand this either, but there is enough energy floating around to make my presence known." Nishiki only partially understood, so she nodded.

"Anyway," Aneko said, changing the subject. "The Kumou, how do you like it with them?" Nishiki smiled, it was an easy question. She still considered her words a bit though. "I like being with them." She said. "When I first met Master Tenka, he reminded me of you." Aneko laughed and agreed that Tenka was a lot like her when one thought about it. Both were willing to die to protect their siblings and both knew how had a certain quality about them that drew people to them. "Chuutarou is cute, funny, and he somehow just makes you want to smile." Nishiki continued. Aneko smiled and nodded in agreement. "And..." The elder one prompted, prodding Nishiki in the side with her elbow.

"And, what?" Nishiki asked. Aneko playfully rolled her eyes and poked Nishiki's arm. "Soramaru..." She said in a low voice, raising her eyebrows for effect. Nishiki's cheeks reddened a bit, but she still responded easily. "Master Soramaru is very kind and I want to be by his side." Nishiki said, almost stiffly.

"What? That's it?" Aneko asked, sounding disappointed. Nishiki looked confused, being alone for so long left her clueless on certain kinds of relationships. "What do you mean?" She asked.

"Look," Aneko began. "I saw when you were sick, the panic on his face. I know you see him as your master, but he definitely doesn't see you as a servant." Nishiki cocked her head, not understanding. "In fact, I think he sees you on a closer level than friend." Nishiki's eyes widened as she began to piece things together. She made an "Oooh" sound. "Are you telling me that you don't have any feelings for him?" Nishiki bit her lip, not really knowing how to respond.

When she thought about it, there were times where she wanted to be closer to Soramaru. Where she wanted to call him by his name instead of adding the word "master" to it. Where she wanted to know how to help him in any given moment. Where she wanted to just be with him. "I guess I might have some feelings for him." Nishiki ended up saying. Aneko smirked a little. "Don't forget, I also see your face when you're around him. Your eyes light up every time he addresses you. You have this smile whenever you make rice balls for him." Nishiki blushed again. She had no idea her face gave away that much. "If you ever get closer with him, just know that I approve." Nishiki's face turned the shade of a tomato. Aneko laughed again.

Then, her smile faded a bit. "It's time for me to go." She said softly. Nishiki's eyes got a panicked look. "No, please don't go. I need you. Please, stay." Nishiki pleaded. Aneko shook her head and began to fade. "We'll see eachother again. I'm not sure when, but we will. Get some sleep, that's an order." She said as she became fainter and fainter to recognize. "And, Nishiki, you've grown. You're past the point of needing me. Now others will start to need you. I love you! Good bye." She said smiling.

"Good bye." Nishiki said to the surrounding darkness. She sat still for a moment, then curled up to go to sleep. It was an order from her sister after all.


	20. Ex-Ninja

"How did it go?" Soramaru asked as he and Nishiki walked together again. He was referring to the meeting with her sister. "I'm happy I got to see her again." Nishiki said. "That's good." Soramaru responded. "You know, the two of you really resemble each other." Nishiki shook her head. She didn't think she looked much like Aneko. Although she wished she did. "So, why did I get called to wherever we're going?" Nishiki asked, changing the subject. Soramaru shrugged, "I don't know, Sakura just said that she wanted you to go to the training ground."

"If it means getting exercise in, I'm glad to do it." Nishiki said. She had a very high tolerance for everything, but she had her limits. Staying in a room too long was one of them.

When they reached the training grounds, Sakura was waiting. When Nishiki asked what the meaning of being called was, she explained. "You're a ninja, right?" Nishiki nodded, then corrected herself. "Well, ex- ninja more like." Sakura nodded, as though something was confirmed. " You quit doing activities involving chakra suddenly?" She asked. Again, Nishiki nodded. "That was part of the reason why you had the illness. The frequency of you using chakra plummeted and your body basically had a bunch of chakra and it kind of got overloaded and it flowed strangely. Plus, now that you're fully recovered, we wanted to know what you could do."

Soramaru and Nishiki understood what was being said. "Master Soramaru." Nishiki began, "You may want to get back." Soramaru retreated behind the fence that surrounded the training ground, but not before giving Sakura a look that clearly said, "Do not let her get hurt." Sakura offered him a half nod.

"Alright." Sakura began, handing Nishiki a few Kunai and shuriken. "Just try to hit the target." She said, pointing to a stump. Nishiki nodded, she remembered how to do this. One after the other, the weapons hit the target perfectly. Both Nishiki and Sakura wore satisfied smiles. "Do you know any jutsu?" Sakura asked. Nishiki had to think for a minute. The word sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. To give an example, Sakura transformed into Nishiki. The real Nishiki understood well enough. "I don't think I can do that technique specifically, but I can do this." As she finished her sentence, blue flames burst from her palm. (A/N: I don't think Nishiki can actually do this, but I needed to give her some kind of jutsu. Shirasu did this in episode 10 in the anime.)

Soramaru stared in shock, he had no idea that Nishiki could do those things. It happened often, he would forget how strong Nishiki really was. That wasn't his fault, he never saw her in combat and she was always doing chores. His jaw dropped as he watched Nishiki sparring in hand to hand combat with Sakura. They almost seemed evenly matched.

The two ninjas took a stopped after a while. Sweat rolled down their foreheads, and each had slashes on their arms due to flying kunai. "I had no idea you could do that." Soramaru said to Nishiki. "I forgot that I could." Nishiki responded. Sakura's hands glowed and she placed them over the injuries on Nishiki's arms. They were minor, but it was still best to have them healed. Soramaru cringed. "Doesn't that hurt?" He asked, looking at Nishiki, who seemed perfectly at ease. She shook her head. "Why would it hurt?" Sakura asked, healing her own arms.

"It always hurt me." Sakura looked at him with sympathy in her eyes. He could guess what she was about to say. "Kabuto healed you a few times?" Sakura questioned, Soramaru nodded. "That would explain it. He's Kabuto." Soramaru shrugged. That made enough sense. "Who's Kabuto?" Nishiki asked. Sakura shot Soramaru a questioning look. "You never told her?" She asked.

"It never really came up. I only told Tenka just the other day." Soramaru said. He remembered that Nishiki asked a question. "Kabuto is a guy who abducted me about five months ago." Nishiki tilted her head, the hand that held her kunai clenched. Whoever this Kabuto was, she suddenly wanted to make him pay dearly for hurting Soramaru. Anger wasn't one of her normal emotions. Happiness, sorrow, and excitement were normal, but anger. She hadn't felt it, like really felt it, since Shirasu's betrayal. "Could you please explain more." She said, keeping her voice level so that no one could guess the rage that she held. "I'll tell you later." Soramaru responded.

"Well, we're done for the day." Sakura said leaving the two. "We'll see what happens tomorrow." She added quietly. They stood side by side for a moment, neither really knew what to do. "You want to know now, don't you?" Soramaru said. He could tell somehow, that Nishiki wanted to know about what happened with Kabuto. "A little, yes." Nishiki replied, her voice still even and her face impossible to read. He figured it was only fair to trust her with his story since she trusted him with her's. Soramaru sighed. "Okay. Let's sit down though, it's kind of a long story." They sat in the shade of a tree and Soramaru told her everything.

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"Then, I got back home." Soramaru finished. He felt glad that he told Nishiki, he felt almost even with her. They both carried each other's burdens. "Want to get a raman?" Soramaru invited. Nishiki never had ramen before, she also didn't know what it was. "What's ramen?" She asked.

"It's a kind of noodle soup." Soramaru explained. "They have a really good shop for it here. I actually haven't had it until this trip here because when I first came here, Sakura had me on a 'recovery diet.' It tastes really good." Nishiki agreed to go with him to get raman. She agreed with him when it came to flavor. The raman was delicious.

"That was great." Nishiki said as Soramaru walked her back to the hospital. The streets were bathed in the golden glow of the sunset. "Yeah." Soramaru agreed. They walked in silence, enjoying the scenery and the sky. When they made it to Nishiki's room, Nishiki was about to close the door and go to bed, but before she could do that, Soramaru stopped the door. "Hey Nishiki," He said quietly. "Good night." Nishiki replied with "Good night."

 **Love it? Hate it? Please Review!**


	21. Once Again a Shinobi

**Wow! Are we up to chapter 20 already? (This is chapter 20, technically speaking, chapter 1 was a prologue.) I really can't believe it got this far. I've had some writer's block, but there's still a bit more to this story. Please enjoy the 20th chapter!**

"Do you know why you're here?" The Hokage asked Nishiki. Nishiki shook her head. All she knew was that Sakura had led her to the Hokage's office that morning, without Soramaru there. "Well," The leader of the Hidden Leaf said. "From what Sakura has told me, you possess about Chunin level skill and you are a shinobi."

"I was a shinobi." Nishiki corrected quietly. The Hokage gave her a questioning look. "I quit that life a few months ago." Tsunade shook her head.

"You can't totally 'quit' being a shinobi. From what I understand, the illness that you just recovered from was caused by misuse of chakra. To prevent this from infecting you again, you need to do some chakra involving activities." Nishiki nodded again, she could see where this was going. "The village is short handed on ninjas at the moment. I'm offering a few missions to you. You're not a Leaf ninja so you can choose to do as you like."

Nishiki thought about her options. She didn't want to return to her old life as a ninja, it had been so bleak and unforgiving. Still, without some "chakra involving activities" she could fall victim to that awful sickness again. When she really thought about it, the shinobi of the Hidden Leaf weren't like the Fuuma, they didn't fear freedom, they valued it. They seemed constantly happy, she had only hung out with Naruto for, like half an hour, she didn't know him well, but she could sense his constant happiness. On top of that, she owed her life to this place, they had healed her, an outsider. Even more importantly, they once saved Soramaru, she was indebted to them because of that too.

"I'd be glad to take some missions." Nishiki responded. The Hokage smiled in approval. Sakura who had been in the back of the room nodded her approval. "You'll be in a team of three for a C rank mission tomorrow morning. They'll explain the mission to you when you meet them at the village gates at 6am. In the mean time, get some rest, maybe get some clothes more suited for the mission."

Sakura took her out to get new clothes. "I think this color would work well on you." Sakura said pointing out a violet tank top. Nishiki shrugged. "Really I would wear anything. I have a suit for ninjas back at the shrine, but I doubt that going back there is possible right now." Sakura shook her head. Nishiki figured out already that going back and forward was dangerous, difficult, and not worth it. There was always a chance that she could get stuck in one dimension, separated from Soramaru and his brothers forever.

Sakura chose a purple tank top, black skirt, and black boots for Nishiki to wear. She also got her a Leaf village headband with a black cloth. "I can't," Nishiki said. "I'm not a Leaf ninja. This isn't my homeland."

Sakura shook her head. "You may not be an official ninja of the Leaf, but on the mission, you will be representing this village, it only makes sense that you wear it." Nishiki couldn't argue with that. She had seen some shinobi around the village wearing their headbands in different places. Some on their foreheads, some as belts, some as armbands. Nishiki chose to wear it as an armband. Sakura, being creative, took a black ribbon, attached it to the armband and wove it in a crisscross pattern around Nishiki's arm. It was tied off at the wrist.

Nishiki flexed her arm, the ribbon was made out of a special material and didn't hinder her movements at all. It was a good touch, but she couldn't see how it would be helpful. When she brought that issue up to Sakura. The medic explained. "How are you with poisoned needles?" She asked. Nishiki shrugged, meaning "so-so". Sakura put some pressure on a section of ribbon. Three needles revealed themselves, Nishiki gasped. "A lot of clothes here conceal weapons."

"Now I see how this is useful." Nishiki said. Sakura nodded, she felt proud of herself, she put together a great outfit that complimented Nishiki's eyes so well.

"Nishiki, Sakura." Soramaru's voice said from behind them. When Nishiki's eyes met his, she could see the questions and interest in them. They asked what was going on and also told her that she looked amazing. Her cheeks reddened a bit and she smiled. "What's going on?" He asked. Nishiki explained that she was going on a mission. Soramaru smiled and nodded.

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"Please explain to me why she's going on a mission." Soramaru demanded Sakura that night while Nishiki was sleeping. They were just outside the hospital. "She volunteered." Sakura said. "We're shorthanded right now. She needs chakra involving activities. It works out." Soramaru was still in no way pleased about the recent turn of events. "I've heard about how often people don't come back from missions." He said quietly. Sakura assured him that Nishiki would be fine.

He wasn't convinced, but Sakura changed the subject. "I think I know a way to help Tenka move his left side again." Soramaru's face changed, panic and indignation turned to surprise. "What?" He asked, not entirely processing what she said. She repeated her sentence. "Look, Lady Tsunade is the best medic in the village, at one point, Orochimaru's arms were paralyzed, she could have healed them. She didn't of course, but that's how good she is." Sakura explained.

"Then why don't you just ask her to help him? How much do you really need to figure out?" He asked.

"There's a lot to figure out actually." Sakura said. " Orochimaru's case and your brother's case are very different. Give me some more time to figure it out. Just in case,don't tell him. I don't know exactly how all of this is going to go." Soramaru agreed to keep quiet about it.

 **Love it? Hate it? Please review! Remember to laugh under the clouds! =D**


	22. Next to You

Nishiki met her new team the next morning. She wore her new mission clothes and felt both nervous and excited. Her team consisted of a boy and a girl, both around her age. The girl wore her blonde hair in a braid over her shoulder and had big, blue eyes. The boy had pale gray hair that was cut short and scarlet eyes.

The half haired girl said nothing as she walked up to them. A silence stretched on. The blonde girl was the one to break the ice. "I'm Maki, and this is Takeshi. What's your name?" She asked politely. Nishiki told them her name. She learned that Maki was happy, outgoing, open, and lighthearted. Takeshi seemed more like the strong and silent type, like her.

The mission was to protect some rich man's gold. They headed off. Soramaru stood farther off. He came to see Nishiki off. He could feel pride for her swell within him. She looked happy, she was raised to be a shinobi after all. He hoped that she would come back soon, without a scratch on her. He knew that was unlikely, but he still hoped for the best.

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Nishiki bonded with her teammates easily. She wasn't often one to form bonds, but somehow, they became more than her comrades and they were her friends. The first mission went smoothly. A few troubles, some bandits, a couple of assassins, but that was nothing that they couldn't handle.

Many missions were taken after that. Mostly C rank. She became more and more like them. Her upbringing unearthing itself. She was a ninja. She couldn't erase that, ever. More and more, she began to accept it. It wasn't hard to notice.

Soramaru could see it. The way she happily stood shoulder to shoulder with Maki and Takeshi. She looked so different, with her different colored eyes, her soot and snow colored hair. Yet, she fit in as though everything was predestined. Her smiles became more frequent. Soramaru was happy to see her smile, but there was a deep sadness buried under it all.

Nishiki was changing. He never saw her as a ninja before. He always viewed her as a girl who needed help at one point and a girl that he had developed feelings for. Sakura mentioned that the Hokage was considering inviting Nishiki to become an official member of the village. Soramaru smiled when he heard the news, but was a storm inside. He wanted to be with Nishiki. He wanted her to be happy. He needed to be back at the shrine.

"If she wants to be a Leaf ninja, I have no right to keep her from that." He said as he brought up the issue to Tenka. Tenka nodded, he too had seen the changes in Nishiki and he wanted her to stay with them at the Kumou shrine, but he knew that she had her freedom to choose where she wanted to be. "The Hokage said that she'd be offered the position when she gets back. I'm not going to try to talk her out of anything. This is a decision she'll make on her own." Soramaru decided aloud.

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Tsunade offered the position as a Chunin to Nishiki, who in return, asked for some time to decide on the matter. Recently, Nishiki stayed at Maki's house. She was recovered and sick of the hospital room. Maki often had long periods of talking about how she thought Nishiki and Soramaru were perfect for each other. Nishiki blushed at most of the things that Maki suggested.

The team had some time off, and Maki forced Nishiki to sit still and allow her to experiment with makeup on her. There was little point in a makeover, the sun was setting and Nishiki had no special plans. A knock at the door sounded and Maki ran to answer it.

"Hi, is Nishiki here?" Soramaru asked. Maki made an excited squeak sound before calling Nishiki over to the door. "Oh, Master Soramaru!" Nishiki said, feeling her cheeks flush. She felt ridiculous. Her eyelids bore two different shades of eyeshadow, her lips were painted pink, and her cheeks were adorned with a light blush.

Soramaru didn't see her in the same view. She looked breathtaking. The experimentation with the makeup left her eyes looking brighter and her face more attractive. He had to take a moment to regain his composure. "Um... I'm sorry if its a bad time. I just wanted to talk to you for a little bit." Nishiki could sense the stress in his words. "It's a good time. We can talk." She said, slipping on her shoes and telling Maki that she would be back later.

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They walked in silence for a while before anyone said anything. Soramaru once heard how terrible it was to be a shinobi without a homeland. Nishiki's clan was gone, she had no homeland. The Leaf village was a good place, surely, if she chose to live there, it would be good. He realized that if she chose to stay in the Leaf, the chances of him seeing her again would be dangerously low.

Whatever she chose, Soramaru resolved that he would support her, wholeheartedly, even if that meant giving her up. No! He said to himself. He wasn't really giving her up. She was never his. When he met her, she identified herself as a tool, nothing more. She was her own person and he refused to see her any differently.

"Nishiki," He began. "I heard that she offered to make you a Leaf ninja." Nishiki nodded. She could see where this was going. "I know that you're a ninja without a homeland. If you wanted this could be your homeland." He didn't like what he was saying, but he didn't know exactly what to say and words toppled out of his mouth. "You seem really happy here and if you wanted to live here, go for it."

Nishiki shook her head, she could understand what he was saying. That he wanted her to be happy and live where she pleased. "Soramaru," She said, addressing him without a title, cutting off his rambling. "I like it here, a lot. But this place can't be my homeland, neither can the Fuuma clan. My homeland is beside you." Soramaru gasped, he hadn't expected that. "I don't choose to remain at the Kumou shrine solely because I'm indebted to you. I want to be there because I want to be next to you. I don't want to leave." She took a step closer to him and reached for one of his hands. He took her's without hesitation.

Their fingers locked. "I want you to be happy." Soramaru said as he held her hand. "Beside you, I am happy." She replied, squeezing his hand and resting her head on his shoulder.

 **Ahhhh... Young love.. In case you haven't guessed, I ship Soramaru and Nishiki. Please review!**


	23. Back into Darkness

"What exactly are you saying?" Soramaru asked Sakura. She looked at him with serious eyes. "I need a sample of the Orochi's cells. You said that they were used on Tenka at one point to heal the wound on his back, right?" Soramaru nodded. Why would she need a sample of them though? "You aren't planning to use them are you?" He asked. Sakura shook her head. "No, after what happened to you because of the Orochi, I wouldn't want to risk it on anyone."

Soramaru heaved a sigh of relief. "Why would you need them then?" He asked. Sakura explained. "I've pretty much figured out how to help Tenka. The only problem though is that he once carried an unnatural substance, Orochi cells, in his body.I need a sample so I can adjust my method of healing him." Soramaru nodded, that made enough sense. "How can you get them though?" He asked. "I'm not the vessel anymore, I don't carry those cells."

"I know that." Sakura said. "That's the tricky part in this whole operation... I want you to find them in Orochimaru's old hideout." Soramaru nearly doubled over. How could he go back there? Why would he go back there? Weren't there people much more suited for the job? When he said that to Sakura, she explained more. "I've done a little research on vessels and stuff. Even though you got separated from the Orochi, you still have a faint connection with it. You would probably be able to find any traces of the DNA that remain there." The idea of returning to a place where he'd been held captive a few months ago made his heart speed up. But, if he went, he'd be doing it for Tenka. His older brother would no doubt do the same for his sake.

"I'll go!" He said, his voice full of determination. He was about to stride off dramatically to heroically face his fear head on when he realized he had no idea where to go. "Which way to the lab exactly?" He asked. Sakura almost laughed.

"You should get an early start and go tomorrow. I already got Lady Tsunade's approval on this and Nishiki is going with." Soramaru was about to ask why Nishiki was coming, but Sakura seemed to read his mind and answered. "There aren't many shinobi available for this mission, Nishiki was able to go." Soramaru couldn't argue, ultimately, this was really his mission. "Alright," He said. "So, we'll leave early in the morning, find the lab, get the sample and get out." Sakura nodded, that was the basic plan. "Oh, yeah." Soramaru said as he left the room."Please don't let Tenka and Chuutarou know about this. I don't want them to worry."

"You might not be back until late."Sakura pointed out. "They'll wonder where you and Nishiki are." Soramaru nodded, he hated to keep his brothers in the dark just as much as he hated to make them worry. He did have a lie to tell so they wouldn't worry so much, even though saying it made him blush ear to ear. "J-just tell them that Nishiki and I are going on a date." His cheeks flared red as he said it. A grin spread across Sakura's face. "That's fitting. I did kind of hope you two would end up together." If possible, Soramaru turned a darker shade of red. It was weird, he could hold hands with Nishiki, be close to her, and compliment the way she looked, but the mention of a date made blood rise to his face. "What is that supposed to mean?!" Soramaru asked, embarrassed.

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He met Nishiki at the village gate that morning. She never really had been informed what this mission was. Soramaru never got a chance to talk to her and it was not technically an official mission.

They started out walking, the lab was a good distance away, but it was early and they weren't on any serious time limit. Tenka and Chuutarou would hopefully be entertained for a while. Naruto was there, he had some stuff to do, but he was still in the village. For Chuutarou, Naruto seemed to be a second Tenka. For Tenka, Naruto was a more hyperactive sixteen year old than he was used to. They both tended to hang around him when they weren't with Soramaru.

"I was never informed what the objective of this mission was. May I ask what we will do?" Nishiki inquired, pulling on the straps of the Hidden Leaf backpack. Soramaru said that he would be happy to carry it, but she insisted. Soramaru carried the map that Sakura had drawn. "Yeah. Right. Nishiki, I'm sorry I didn't get the chance to tell you earlier. We're going to get remaining Orochi cells from Orochimaru's lab."

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	24. A Pillar of Strength

"What?" Nishiki said in a breathless voice. Soramaru had explained everything to her and processing it wasn't going smoothly. "We're going to any remaining traces of the Orochi so Sakura can heal Tenka's left side." Soramaru recapped. Nishiki understood, but still the idea was overwhelming. She trusted the Leaf Village, but still, that village was made up of people, and every person at least has a little darkness in them. Every person had a bit of greed. When caring for a village, even with the best intentions, that greed could often be increased tenfold.

"How do we know that they won't try to use the cells for their own purposes later?" Nishiki asked. She remembered how many injured shinobi were admitted into the hospital. Some with critical injuries that would heal over time, others who would never heal. The Orochi cells could change that. They could make stronger warriors. But at what cost? "I checked with Sakura. She'll destroy anything that's left of the Orochi when she's done. They saw what happened to me when the Orochi took over. They won't make the same mistakes that the researchers did in Shiga." He paused. "Trust me."

Nishiki's nervousness didn't subside, but she trusted Soramaru, so she would put some faith in him for this.

"Hey," Nishiki mentioned after a while of traveling in silence. "You said that Master Tenka and Chuutarou don't know about this expedition. Won't they miss you and ask Naruto and Sakura where we are?" Soramaru tensed, his cheeks burned, and his head lowered so his eyes were out of sight. "I made an excuse." He said quietly. Nishiki gazed at him intently. Her eyes, asking for what that particular excuse was. Her eyes bore into him, not in a bad way, but in a way that his face became redder and sweat formed on his hairline. "Sakura told them that we would be on a date." He stuttered. Heat spread from his face to all over his body. Nishiki wasn't doing much better. Her cheeks reddened and her lips pressed together.

Inside, she was actually pretty pleased with this. Flattered, embarrassed, but really pleased. "I suppose this is a date, of sorts." She said, her bangs hiding her eyes. She pressed her lips together again to hide her smile. "Well, I figured Tenka would be fine with that excuse." Soramaru said. He now smiled openly because he could hear the ghost of a smile in Nishiki's voice.

Meanwhile, in the Hidden Leaf...

"Soramaru and Nishiki are what?!" Tenka yelled. When he asked where Soramaru was he expected to hear something like his brother was out doing community service, but on a date?! "They're on a date." Sakura replied levelheadedly.

Tenka couldn't pace like he used to, on account of not being able to walk at all, but he made up for it by rolling in circles in his wheelchair. Soramaru couldn't be on a date! The boy was only sixteen, far too young to have a girlfriend. At least in Tenka's mind. More importantly, Tenka was the eldest, he couldn't let Soramaru get into a serious relationship before he did.

Chuutarou followed Tenka's example, although he was confused about what was going on. "You know what this means, right, Chuutarou?" Before the third son could answer, Tenka did. "Soramaru is leaving the nest. Only this time for real!" Chuutarou panicked, even more than before. "He can't leave without me!" Chuutarou said.

Sakura sighed. Had she known that Tenka would react like this, she probably would have made up something else. "It's fine," She said, trying to calm the two of them down, it proved to be impossible. "They'll probably be back later tonight." Her comment didn't help at all. "LATER TONIGHT?!" Tenka replied. "What are they doing?! Why would they be out so late? They have a curfew!" Sakura sweatdropped, keeping them in one place was going to be harder than she thought.

Back to Soramaru and Nishiki...

They found the lab, a hidden place. An uneasy sensation crept over the two of them. An aura of pain and cruelty emitted from the very bricks and mortar that held the facility together. Soramaru felt Nishiki take his hand. He couldn't blame her, surely she could feel it too. The suffering that was embedded in the walls. "Here we go." Soramaru said quietly as they entered the darkness.

He could feel it. Aside from the pain this place carried, he could feel bits and pieces of the Orochi. They called to him, he wanted to ignore them, he wanted to forget about them. He began to feel sick to his stomach. Nishiki squeezed his hand, reminding him that she was next to him. He was grateful.

They each held a torch in their free hands. The lab was dank to begin with, but with all of the light bulbs out of order, it was pitch black. "How long were you here for?" Nishiki asked, grimacing at a splatter of blood that stained the cement floor. "Not sure."Soramaru responded, leading her away from the harsher sights of the lab. "I was in a tank, like that one most of my stay here." He gestured to a hydrocapsule across the room.

They turned a corner and suddenly, Soramaru was unable to breath. He remembered this room. He could recall the rag over his face, the cutting, and Kabuto's sloppy healing job. He doubled over and before he knew it, he was curled up, on his knees, screaming. Nishiki dropped to her knees beside him. She didn't know what to do.

It wasn't long before tears streaked down Soramaru's face. Those stupid Orochi cells led him here. They kept calling. The calls were no longer in his mind, they rang in his ears as well. Instead of just remembering his experience, he relived it. Slowly, everything of this lab replayed in his mind. It felt like a brick to the head. Hard, cold, and fast. He screamed. Fighting the memories did nothing. His eyes were open, he couldn't close them. They stared in horror, glazed with fear at the surgical table. Then, there was just a flash of white.

Nishiki had been wearing a cloak that was provided for her by the hidden leaf. She draped it over Soramaru's head. When his yells didn't stop, she put an arm around him and pulled him closed to her. She wrapped her other arm around him as well. "It's fine." She said gently. "I'm here. You're safe." She mimicked his words from the night that she had a flashback.

His screams quieted and turned into shuddering sobs. She held him closer. Was this what it had been like for him? When she told him about Aneko. He had been her pillar of strength back then. Here she was returning the favor. She didn't feel strong. She didn't like seeing him like this, but she didn't hate comforting him. Suddenly, being here for him was the purpose of her existance. His tears made her cry.

Several months ago, his tears would have disgusted her. Some one who gave into weakness and cried was nothing more than a coward or weakling. His tears wer the cloak over his head and her skin, the feeling of them didn't make her cringe. She realized that way of thinking was wrong now. There was no shame in crying. Soramaru was anything but a coward or weakling. She looked to him for strength, she looked to him for courage.

His cries quieted more. Nishiki still held on. "I'm sorry that any of this happened to you." She said quietly. "It's over now." He took in deep sighs, trying to calm down."Calm down when you feel ready." She said in a hushed tone. "You were always there when I needed your support. You helped me face my past and you saved me from what I may have become. Thank you. Please, let me help you the same way."

His tears stopped. He flipped the cloak off of his head. He surveyed the room and took a deep breath. Nishiki was right, the nightmare that he lived through was over. His hands came to either side of Nishiki's head and he gazed into her eyes. "Thank you, Nishiki." He said as he embraced her. She smiled a little because she had been able to be a pillar of strength for him.

He found a scale under the table. As he picked it up, a wave of nausia passed over him. He had to gather his strength to put it in a glass vial. The Orochi coldn't control him anymore. This would help Tenka, that's all that mattered.

Nishiki came to his side again. "It hurts me to know what you went through." She said, seeing the splotch of blood on the floor again. "It's alright, it's over." He said. "It hurt me to know about your past. But really, if I hadn't spent some time here, I never would have gotten to the Hidden Leaf. They were able to save you, if I hadn't been abducted, you would stay sick." He paused. "It was more than a fair trade." They stopped walking and he turned to face her. "I would endure everything I went through here a thousand-fold for you. I'd do it all while smiling." Nishiki reddened. Really she could hardly stand the thought of him going through anything that this lab coud dish out. "Why would you do that?" Nishiki asked, even though she would do the same for him.

Soramaru paused and said nothing. Then, gently, slowly, he kissed her on the cheek. "I guess you could say that I love you."

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	25. Roommate

She didn't know how to respond. She never got much experience in relationships, especially relationships with boys. Nishiki's face turned red. What was she supposed to do? "I love you too." She said softly, still unable to totally process what was going on. She took a step towards him and let her forehead rest on his shoulder.

They stood like that for a bit, it was comforting. "Let's get out of here." Soramaru said quietly. Nishiki nodded into his shoulder. They walked out together, his arm around her.

The sky wasn't blue anymore, but a vast array of oranges, crimson, and gold. "We were in there too long." Soramaru stated. "We should make a camp." Nishiki agreed, travelling at night seemed less than desirable. They divided the jobs. Soramaru didn't like the idea of Nishiki heading into the woods alone, he didn't like the idea of anyone going into the woods alone. But, she was a shinobi, so he put some faith in her to come back.

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They were provided with some survival supplies by the village. No water though, it would slow them down. Nishiki bent down at a stream, and observed the water. It was running so it was probably clean and they would boil it later so it would be safe to drink. As she began to fill a metal pot with water, a figure rose from the stream.

It was a boy, Soramaru's age, white hair, purple eyes. Nishiki dropped the kettle and jumped back. She was ready with her blades. The boy held up his hand in a placating gesture. He smiled, his mouth was filled with pointed white teeth. "I won't do anything." He said casually, as if this sort of thing happened on a daily basis. His eyes searched her intensely. "Hey aren't you Nishiki?" He asked. That caught Nishiki off guard. "How do you know my name?" She questioned, lowering her weapons.

The boy disappeared into water for a second. A tiny stream of water made its way to Nishiki. She yelped as he rose and took the form of a person again. "Well, I knew Soramaru. We were roommates. He told me about you." Nishiki understood this more now. The boy next to her was Suigetsu, Soramaru's chatty roommate.

"You know," He said putting an arm around Nishiki's shoulders. "I was really best friends with that guy." Nishiki recalled Soramaru's stories regarding the labs. He made it very clear that he and Suigetsu were never friend. "That's not what he said." Nishiki muttered. "I asked him if he could set us up once. He said 'no,' but fate obviously wanted us to meet." Nishiki didn't have that much of a tolerance for him, she found herself annoyed.

She swung her knife at him. It went through him like water. "Wow, aggressive." Suigetsu commented. "I tend to like girls who can wield a blade. Want to go out sometime?" He asked.

"What the-" Came Soramaru's voice from a short distance away. Suigetsu and Nishiki stopped what they were doing. "Hey, good to see you again! It's been awhile." Suigetsu said casually.

 **Hello! I'm back! Love it? Hate it? Please review!**


	26. This Guy

**Hello! I haven't updated in forever and I feel guilty, but I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

"Okay, this guy is back." Soramaru said to himself, facepalming. He wasn't happy about the little reunion with his annoying roommate. "Wow, that was a rude greeting." Suigetsu scoffed. "You could have said 'Hey, how are you?' or 'It's great to see you again!' No, all I get is a moody reaction and a facepalm. You lack basic social skills."

Soramaru groaned. "Well, I can see you haven't changed at all… Still loud and mentally disturbed." Nishiki stood at Soramaru's side, her blade still ready. She didn't have many issues with killing, but Soramaru's roommate, she really wouldn't have an issue. "If you need me to take him out, I could." Nishiki whispered, elevating her head so she could speak into Soramaru's ear. He put a hand on her blade and lowered it. "Don't waste your energy, this guy can't be taken down that way."

"Would you like to have dinner with use?" Soramaru asked, trying to be polite. Suigetsu's mouth formed a grin full of shark-like teeth. Soramaru grimaced internally. That grin reminded him so much of Kagami. "Sure." He said, happily.

Nishiki raised an eyebrow at Soramaru. The look she gave him asking why would he do something like inviting a lunatic to dinner. Soramaru shrugged, a gesture that seemed to say, "Well, I felt like I should try to be polite." Nishiki ended up smiling and shaking her head. "Just like back then..." Her gesture said.

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They ate dinner in a tight circle around a small fire. It wasn't much, but Soramaru did have a talent with food, so it tasted good. Suigetsu talked about a group that he joined after Orochimaru was killed. Soramaru took note of everything he said. Normally he wouldn't care, but when Suigetsu said the name "Sasuke." Soramaru remembered hearing about a certain person whom Sakura loved, Naruto fought with, and Kakashi taught. As Soramaru could remember, Sasuke left the village and was a threat. He stored away every bit of information that he could into his brain.

That night, Nishiki slept alone in the tent that Sakura provided for and Suigetsu slept in sleeping bags in a room of the lab. "I must say," Suigetsu said. "I'm surprised that we're not all sleeping in the same room. It seems like it would be safer that way." Soramaru rolled his eyes as he shifted a folded blanket under his head as a makeshift pillow. "Well, I was going to do that, but then you showed up. I feel like she'd be safer a good distance away from you!"

"What happened to you after he died?" Suigetsu asked out of nowhere. "What are you doing back? Here of all places?" Soramaru sighed, could he hide nothing of what he didn't want to share? "You know how they killed Tenka because he was the vessel?" Suigetsu nodded. "He wasn't the vessel, I was." Soramaru explained just about everything.

"Wow!" Suigetsu said. "Quite a couple months you've had then, huh?" Soramaru nodded, it had been a lot. Silence ensued for a minute. "So, uh… with Nishiki…" Suigetsu began. Soramaru cut him off. "I think we're together. I kissed her." Suigetsu stared wide-eyed. "You heard me." Soramaru said looking at his surprised face with entertainment. "Well, I didn't think you'd ever get together…. It's about time." Suigetsu said, laughing. Soramaru turned red. "What is that supposed to mean?" He asked with annoyance.

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Suigetsu was gone when Soramaru woke up. He was grateful for that. "Good morning." Nishiki said as he came out of the lab.

"Good morning." He said. She peered into the lab, looking for Suigetsu. "He left." Soramaru answered her question before she could ask it. After packing, they left. They had to go fast in case Suigetsu came back. Little did they know that they had quite a lecture or problem back at the village.

 **Tenka is still raging about those two being on a date! LOL! This story is winding down and I honestly can't believe I wrote this much! Comments are appreciated! Remember to Laugh!**


	27. End

**Hi! I completely forgot about this fanfic for awhile. But I never forgot to LAUGH! I made a bit of a time skip, but I think it wraps up the story well. Please enjoy!**

A few months later:

"You were right about those parties," Nishiki stated as she and Soramaru entered the house together. "It was not the best use of time."

"Yeah," Soramaru half laughed. "And that's about the nicest way to put it. I'm glad you came with, otherwise it would have been four hours of wandering around, again."

Nishiki had been cured of whatever disease she'd faced at the beginning of the story, and Tenka underwent a surgery, which took care of his paralysis. When everyone was well enough to travel, they returned home together.

After that, Tenka went on a trip around Japan with Kiiko Sasaki of the Yamainu. Leaving Soramaru as the head of the household for awhile.

"It's a good thing we're home," the Fuuma whispered quietly, since Chuutarou was probably asleep. "I didn't know how much longer I could wear the shoes." Soramaru laughed as Nishiki gingerly pried the high heeled shoes from her feet. "What is it?" She asked, tilting her head at his laughter.

"You're a former ninja. I've seen you go through some of the most physically demanding training exercises, and you have an issue with shoes?" Nishiki smiled, reddening a little it sounded a bit ridiculous when he phrased it like that. It wasn't uncommon that they joked together. After they started dating, their relationship seemed to mellow out and they could act however they wanted around each other.

"High heeled shoes are the second most painful thing to me," she said, nudging the shoes away with her foot.

"What's the first?" The Kumou asked curiously.

"Fuuma rite of passage."

"Right." A lull crept into the conversation. Even though they could talk to each other about their pasts, they didn't like bringing them up.

"So," Soramaru began, changing the topic. "Maybe the parties wouldn't be so boring if I got into to politics or something." To his surprise, Nishiki's normally serious face smiled and she giggled. He'd seen her express emotions before, but her girlish laugh caught him by surprise. "What is it?" He inquired.

"The last thing the world needs is another politician. I can't picture you in that role. You can hardly wear a western suit for so long." As she said it, he noticed that he was unconsciously taking off the tie, and loosening a few buttons from his dress shirt.

"I'm relieved you talked me out of that just now. I wouldn't have wanted to do it." He laughed.

"Then why consider it?"

"Possibly to impress you."

Nishiki smiled. Soramaru was so open. "Your openness impresses me."

Soramaru got closer to her. His hands fell to her hips, his forehead pressed against hers. Nishiki saw only his raven colored eyelashes. "Then you'll be really impressed by this." He paused. His heart sped up. Nishiki's heart sped up. She reached her arms up to his shoulders, running her fingers through his smooth, dark hair.

She waited for him to say something, the anticipation killing her. Finally, his beautiful, midnight eyes opened. "I've been in love with you since you came to live here. Will you marry me?"

She hadn't expected that. That really did impress her. She found herself not responding immediately, but just staring into his brilliant eyes. They were so full of sincerity, so honest. She pressed her forehead more firmly against his. "Yes, I will."

Tears of joy formed at her eyes. Soramaru slumped suddenly, his head fell against her shoulder. "Are you alright?" She asked, almost frantically.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just really relieved that you said yes. If you hadn't, it would have been so awkward." He raised his head to look her in the eyes again, and he laughed.

"What do you have in mind for getting married?" She asked.

"Well, we might have to wait until Tenka gets back. He'd be really upset if he missed the wedding. That lecture we got back at the Hidden Leaf would be nothing compared to what we'd get. Also, let's wait a little while, just to make sure we're ready. I mean, I'm not sure that we're even old enough to plan out a life together."

"I agree," she stated.

It all happened slowly. He brought his hands up to her face and she leaned into his touch. Gently, and so smoothly, he pressed his lips against hers for the first time. They pulled back at the same time. "I love you." Both said at the same time.

 **This was not how I planned to write the next chapter, but I had some writer's block and couldn't do what I really wanted. If someone wants me to, I can fill in what happened at the end of the previous chapter, I would enter that in later even if this fanfiction is marked as complete. Please review! KEEP LAUGHING!**


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